21. The Hut in the Jungle

Climbing a wooden ladder, Severian and Agia enter the hut.  Agia indicates that the building is not contemporary but ancient.  Inside, a woman is reading to a naked black man.  A second man stands by a window.  None of the room’s three occupants acknowledge the arrival of Agia and Severian. 

Severian and Agia watch the woman, a missionary named Marie, read a moralistic story to the indigenous man. The man, Isangoma, responds with a traditional story of his own. Agia grows impatient and urges Severian to leave.  Severian wishes to stay and observe.