This part introduces the town of Glaston and establishes Paul Faber’s rational and skeptical worldview with clarity. As a skilled surgeon, he shows compassion for human suffering while maintaining emotional distance from religious belief, especially in conversations with Bevis and Wingfold that highlight the tension between science and faith. The appearance of Miss Meredith quietly unsettles Faber’s inner certainty and shifts belief from abstract debate to lived experience. This section lays the philosophical and relational foundations for the entire novel.
