At the front door of the Rise, Ransom hears shouting and struggling inside. When he hurries around back, he sees Weston ("the thicker and taller of the two men"[4]) and Devine trying to force Harry, a dull-witted young man, to enter a structure on the property against his will. Ransom intervenes in the struggle, and Devine sees him as a better prospect than Harry for what he and Weston have in mind. With Weston's grudging consent, Devine offers Ransom a drink and accommodations for the night.