Blaess is back in Paris - she is happy about all the letters her parents had sent her and that were waiting at the boarding house. But she reveals that her letter from Orgeval had been read by others before sending, and that it wasn't honest because she could not be free to write whatever she wanted. She admits her Christmas was very sad - the saddest she ever had- and did not feel like Christmas at all. She then repeats details of her walks in the snow with Yolande from her previous letter almost word for word. Her account of New Year's Day is more joyful: they ate a lot of good food and drank wine and champagne to the point where they were all tipsy. Madeleine recounts a funny story that happened in the morning: she found herself kissing and hugging and wishing Happy New Year to everybody, and to her surprise, people actually came for several rounds of hugging and kissing. She was quite surprise and didn't know it was customary in France. She returned to Paris on Tuesday evening. Blaess prefers the white countryside to the dullness and dirt of Paris under the snow. At her boarding house they all have to queue for the toilet and bathroom. She complains about one of the book she had to buy being 200 francs. Apparently, Norah didn't go to Lyon for Christmas in the end - her family having a contagious disease- so she spent a sad Christmas in Paris on her own. After her hairdresser appointment, she was very pleased with her hair and everybody complimented her - she was over the moon. An incident happened with Norah, that she recounts: she couldn't open the bottle of perfume Norah gave her for Christmas, neither could Norah, and as they went to the shop where the perfume has been bought, Norah dropped it in the staircase at la Sorbonne. It now smells nice in the building. Norah bought her another bottle. She had an argument with the captain - she thinks in the corridor it is too dark and it is dangerous as no one can see anything. She wanted to cut a hole in the lampshades but couldn't because the captain made them and he doesn't want more light. The letter carries on to the next morning. She thanks her father for his letter and attaches a post stamp for him. She reveals her aunt or Yolande paid for her trip and stay in Orgeval, and that she got gifted 200 francs and chocolates by her aunt for Christmas. Her plans for the day and tomorrow include eating twice at Norah's and going to the opera. To finish the month, she has 500 francs, which she finds enough.