Pleasure Reading 3. Chapter 3

Larry went to work in a coal mine near Lens, in northern France, where he got to know his coworker, a Pole named Kosti. Kosti was an uncouth man, but he was educated and knew a lot about mystical religion, and this arouses Larry's interest. In the spring, Kosti and Larry left the mine and wandered across Belgium and into Germany, where they found work on a farm. They stayed there through the summer, but Larry decided to leave after Becker's daughter-in-law Ellie, whom he didn't even like, crawled into his bed one night. He made his way to Bonn, where he remained for a year. Meanwhile, Isabel married Gray Maturin, and they settled down in Chicago. Within three years she gave birth to two daughters. Gray prospered and became a partner in the family business. He and Isabel were wealthy and happy. Then in October 1929, the New York stock market crashed. Gray's father Henry died of a heart attack and Gray was destroyed financially. He couldn't find another job and his health broke down. With no other option available, he and his family went to live on their plantation in South Carolina.