Maria and Lillian have been friends since childhood, dreaming of being adults and imagining their lives in the future. This ‘game,’ however, had to be put away when the reality of life settled in; Maria nursed her dying mother and married a preacher, while the death of Lillian’s guardian Miss Archer caused her to leave the small town behind and eventually get engaged to a rich man. Miss Archer had been a germaphobe, and she did not let her ward touch money other than coins that had been boiled first. In her adult years, Lillian finds herself obsessed with money, forming emotional attachments to the bills she hoards. She buys fine, costly things; the distress of being parted with her money leads her to project those protective emotions onto whatever she has purchased. When Lillian and Maria meet by chance in Baltimore, they pick up conversation as though not a single year has passed by. They sit in Lillian’s expensively furnished drawing room and reflect on their childhood – trying alcohol for the first time, playing ‘the game’ – and Maria tells Lillian about everything that has changed in Tryon Neck. Lillian delights in Maria’s social presence, but she focuses on ensuring that Maria realizes just how rich she is. She wants stories of her wealth to be told to everyone in the town she left behind, but Maria seems to take the opulence in stride. However, just when she is about to leave, Maria finally comments on how expensive the furnishings are, which immensely delights Lillian. Casually, Maria asks for a hundred dollars. Overcome with glee and triumph, Lillian agrees instantly, handing over the money quickly. Maria takes it with relief and gratitude, and Lillian assumes the money is for her injured son. But when Maria leaves, Lillian feels pained about giving away her beloved money and guilty for feeling this way. The picture of Maria’s life in her head is ruined by the taint of her own greed, and Lillian weeps uncontrollably. Her butler, who she considers a symbol of her wealth, takes no notice of her misery; she notes that Maria’s elderly helper would have certainly tried to comfort her.