O'Casey tells McCarthy how he is having such trouble with his eyes that he cannot keep up with all his correspondence. He hopes she is not overdoing it with studying American literature, and discusses the relative merits of Henry James and James Joyce. He then speaks about the English people he knows, in the counties he is acquainted with, and says that they are much like Irish people. He says that an Irish tribe gave its name to Devon, and ponders the meanings of various place names. He discusses gelatine (which perhaps McCarthy recommended for health?), and also the question of cruelty to animals. He then mentions the lack of truth in some stories about him in the press, especially as regards his diet. He, then, lists for McCarthy what his daily diet actually is, and says he wouldn't bother with meat, except that the rest of the family like to eat it. He tells her he found the winter hard, but he is glad his favourite flower, the crocus, is now in bloom. Finally he says he has no interest at all in making a big thing of his upcoming eightieth birthday, although he has had a request for an interview, which he turned down.