July, 1963
- Gordon spends the summer working with Cooper. While checking on Cooper's lab books, he sees nothing of interest, just ordinary curves.
- Gordon decides to consider the "spontaneous resonance" problem anew.
- One day, Chairman Tulare calls Gordon to have a chat and tells him that the events of the past months have not produced confidence in Gordon.
- As a result, Gordon will not be making the otherwise routine promotion from Assistant Professor Step II to Step III. Burn.
- Tulare recites the story of Einstein's not keeping a notebook for his good ideas, and Gordon is suddenly embarrassed, realizing it is the same story he told the Carroways.
- He realizes that they smiled at his anecdote simply to humor him.