Babel

The morning after Robin freed Victoire and Ramy from the silver web, Robin wakes up and meets Ramy outside the house. They walk together to class at Babel in silence. Later that day, all of the fourth-year students get messages saying that the annual fourth-year trip—usually reserved for after exams—will begin in two days. They’re headed to Canton for two weeks, Macau for one week, and Mauritius for ten days. The notes explain they’ve moved up the trip because there are pressing trade negotiations currently occurring in China, and the British trade companies involved want to make use of Babel interpreters. Letty is excited about the trip, but Robin, Ramy, and Victoire think the sudden announcement of the trip must be related in some way to last night’s events.

Two days later, Robin and his cohort go with Professor Lovell to London to board the ship that will take them to Canton. The trip will take six weeks. When they’re on board, Ramy and Victoire are terrified that they’ll be caught for their crimes at any moment. Robin wants to discuss the Hermes Society and everything that has happened with Ramy and Victoire, but the three are never alone. Letty senses something is wrong but doesn’t know what.

At one point, Robin finds himself alone with Professor Lovell. Lovell tells Robin he believes in fresh starts. He apologizes for being too distant as a guardian and for not being sensitive to the difficulties Robin inevitably faced growing up in a foreign country. He says that he hopes he and Robin can have a clean slate, forget about the Hermes Society, and focus on Babel and the future. Robin is immensely relieved, but he also realizes that Lovell hasn’t apologized for not recognizing Robin as a son or for letting Robin’s mother die.

A week into the journey, Robin, Ramy, and Victoire finally find themselves alone. They initially talk over one another because they’re so eager to talk about everything that has happened. They talk about Anthony and Griffin. Ramy and Victoire say that Anthony faked his disappearance and then recruited them a few months ago. Robin explains that Professor Lovell said that Griffin killed Evie Brooke. Ramy asks Robin if he believes Professor Lovell, and Robin says he does.

Ramy is angry that Robin didn’t tell him about the Hermes Society for three years. To Ramy, it feels like Robin was lying to them by keeping the secret. Robin thinks, but doesn’t say, that he was worried that Ramy and Victoire had more to lose if they joined the Hermes Society than he did, because he could sometimes pass for White, and his guardian was a member of the Babel faculty. Ramy asks what else happened when Robin was caught, and Robin says he gave Lovell the information about the Hermes Society safe house at St. Aldate’s. Victoire and Ramy are both taken aback. Ramy says that Robin betrayed the Hermes Society. Robin says he was just trying to survive. Ramy says that survival is well and good, but one must retain some dignity while surviving. 

After that, the rest of the voyage is miserable. At one point, Letty approaches Robin and says that she knows Professor Lovell is his father. She says she isn’t sure what happened, but she’s noticed that he’s been treating him differently recently. She assures Robin that she’s here for him if he needs anything. Lovell tutors Letty, Victoire, and Ramy in Mandarin every afternoon with the idea that they’ll be able to navigate once they reach Canton. Robin tells them that Mandarin won’t help them much, as people speak Cantonese in Canton. But Lovell doesn’t know Cantonese, Robin adds. Only Robin does, which is why Lovell needs him, Robin thinks. Lovell also explains the trade negotiations that they are all supposed to help with. Just before the end of the trip, Ramy and Robin talk again. Despite everything that has happened, it’s clear that Ramy still cares about Robin.