- We begin with Bernard, who announces he is at Hampton Court. He says, "This is our meeting-place." Hmm, whose?
- Ah, now he says that Susan, Rhoda, Neville, Jinny, and Louis are all there, too—reunion time. He describes his emotions as he approaches them (they are waiting by the door of an inn). Then they all enter the inn together.
- Now we're with Neville, who notes they are all sitting together at a table. He describes the group as they take account of each other and themselves, asking each other, "What have you made of life?" (8b.4). He says that they are now middle-aged.
- Neville claims to search in his pocket for his "credentials" to prove that he has "passed" (8b.4), but then somehow finds this "proof" inadequate in impressing his friends. (As elsewhere, it's hard to tell how literally to take exchanges like these.)
- Neville says that when the friends meet, there is always someone "who refuses to be submerged; whose identity therefore one wishes to make crouch beneath one's own" (8b.5). He claims that, for him in this moment, that person is Susan, so he feels the need to impress her. As part of this effort, he considers the features of her life and his own, comparing them (it is unclear if he does this inwardly or outwardly). He attempts to allay some perceived hostility on her part and assert his own "belief" in himself. He contrasts his insights/perspectives to Susan's (8b.7). He also thinks of how others perceive him and the past, including Percival.
- Susan then offers what seems to be kind of a rebuttal to Neville, saying she "discredits" him "in order to be herself" (8b.9). Like Neville, she paints her own life in rosy colors, underscoring the wisdom this life has brought to her.
- Once she has finished, she says that she and Neville have completed some kind of "necessary prelude" which is "the salute of old friends"; she describes it as akin to the crashing of antlers (8b.10).
- Bernard now considers how much things have changed. In particular, he thinks about how much more effort is required to bring the friends together to meet and how little they think about each other, typically.
- Then, like Neville and Susan, he does his own self-evaluation, outlining his unique characteristics and the insights and philosophical gains he has achieved. He compares this philosophy, which he claims is kind of all over the place, to Louis's pursuit of "unalterable conclusions upon the true nature of what is to be known" (8b.15).
- Now we get Louis himself describing his pursuit of meaning, which he suggests has been repeatedly beat-down and continues to be frustrated (because so-and-so laughed at him, or because of the boasting boys making fun of him). Like the others, he thinks about his own unique qualities, motivations, and desires.
- Now Jinny pipes up, making the case for the life she's chosen for herself and comparing it against Louis's. She reiterates that, though she grows old, she is unafraid.
- Rhoda finally joins the fray, describing the complex web of emotions that have shaped her attitudes and relationships throughout her life. She thinks of how she has changed, and she distinguishes herself from the others.
- Once dinner has finished, the friends leave the restaurant and appear to be walking toward gardens, trying to get in before they close. Louis invites Rhoda to hang back with him as they walk along.
- As they walk through this place, which is steeped in English history, some of our narrators think about their "English past," as Bernard calls it (8b.35). Neville is apparently feeling particularly patriotic, imagining himself as a subject of George V.
- Meanwhile, Louis is getting emotional while walking along with his hand in Susan's (while leaning on Jinny), and Bernard is walking arm-in-arm with Neville. Louis thinks back to when they would sing together before bed as children.
- The friends then seem to share a moment of connection and unity. Aww!
- Now Neville disappears with Jinny and Bernard with Susan, leaving Rhoda and Louis alone. Rhoda says the others are moving toward a lake.
- Louis and Rhoda then offer an array of observations about the night and their emotions at that moment. The others return and do the same as they reassemble as a group of six.
- Bernard offers some further reflections on their surroundings (and life in general) as the friends part ways, and he ends up on a train back to Waterloo.