The Game's Afoot

The Game's Afoot is the heading of chapter 27. It marks a transition from a conversation that ends in greater amity than expected to a quieter interval of fatigue and waiting, giving the chapter an anticipatory frame without explaining the phrase's origin or fixing its meaning.

Placement and Context

The heading follows Caroline's reluctant agreement to visit that afternoon. Although the conversation had been difficult, it ends on more friendly terms than the narrator thought possible. The chapter then opens with the narrator exhausted by even that short exchange, resting at home and waiting for Kappelman.

Narrative Function

The phrase sets an expectation of activity just as the narrative pauses: the narrator turns off the television, wraps up in a blanket, and lies down, then wakes shortly before Kappelman's expected arrival. An unexpected act of cleaning has left the apartment tidy, and the narrator admits that the orderly rooms lift her spirits. This contrast between the title's suggestion of action and the scene's subdued domestic interval supports an anticipatory effect, but the available passage does not establish a specific allusion or identify what the phrase ultimately refers to.