Chapter XIII - Summary

Henry Foster is asking Lenina if she would like to join him to a feely and she doesn't respond, she only shakes her head. He continues to ask questions and she just keeps shaking her head in response. He suggests she should get a Pregnancy Substitution or a V.P.S. treatment, thus making Lenina break her silence by yelling for him to shut up. She attends to her neglected embryos again but finds herself distracted by the thought of John.
She tries discussing it with Fanny but Fanny does not like the thought of Lenina being obsessed with one man. Lenina confesses she has tried to be with many other men but she only wants John. Fanny tells her to go take him, whether he wants it or not and if she is scared then she should take some soma beforehand.

John heard the bell ring and was hoping it was Helmholtz because he wants to talk to him about Lenina. He opened the door and found Lenina standing in all white. John was startled and Lenina walks into the room and sat down, as the soma made her forget all about her fears and embarrassment. She states that he looks like he isn't glad to see her. John confesses that he feels that she is perfect and falls on his knees before her to kiss her hands. He suddenly jumped onto his feet and says that he wants to show that he is worthy of her.
Lenina asks why he thinks it is necessary as she is getting impatient. John says that back in Malpais, you brought the one you want to marry the skin of a mountain lion or wolf. Lenina is getting more impatient and he confesses that he would do anything, anything that she asked him to do just to prove how much he loves her.

Lenina is euphoric that he would say such a thing, but he said that he shouldn't have said it because in Malpais they get married before they say 'I love you'. Lenina does not understand and feels that promising to live together forever is a horrible idea.
She is getting mad at him for not talking in a sensible way and that he is driving her crazy. She asks him if he really likes her or not.
He confesses that he loves her, 'more than anything in the world'. She exasperatedly asks why he didn't say so in the first place and kisses him.

John begins to think of the embraces from the feelies film 'Three Weeks in a Helicopter' and is disgusted at his thoughts. He tries to pull away but Lenina tightens her embrace. He doesn't want to take advantage of her honour but she just keeps going on about how she wanted him too and that he should have said something sooner.

Lenina begins taking off her clothes and advances toward him. John, instead of embracing her, is terrified and finds himself trying to get away from her as she tries to press against him. He grabs her by the shoulders and begins shaking her and calling her a 'whore'. She tries to protest that a gramme is better than a damn but is interrupted by him stating that he will kill her if she doesn't get out. She makes a mad dash to the bathroom after he had slapped her on the back.

John is stomping in the other room to the beat of the Shakespearean quotes in his head. Lenina asks if he would give her her clothes. He shoves them through the ventilator over the door and returned to his pacing. Lenina is trying to decide how to make a dash to the door when John gets a phone call.

John frantically leaves and as soon as Lenina feels that he is gone, she slips through the front door, slams it, and runs.