Marie-Laure freezes as she realizes that someone is moving about downstairs. She notices that the person walks with a limp: It is the German sergeant major who cornered her in the grotto. She takes her things—the small house containing the stone, her two cans of food, a knife, a brick, and her cane—and retreats to the attic whose entrance is hidden behind the wardrobe.

The engineer Walter Bernd dies, and Volkheimer buries him in a corner under piled rubble. Werner works on the radio; although the transceiver is broken beyond repair, he might be able to fix the radio receiver. Focused on the task before him, Werner does not despair or think about his situation.

Von Rumpel finds the model of Saint-Malo in Marie-Laure’s room. He believes the stone will be hidden inside the model.