Summary and Analysis
Under the dark night's cover, the boys stealthily make their way to the library for a meeting with Mr. Halloway. Will has doubts about the library's safety, and he considers the possibility that his father might already have succumbed to the Carnival's powers.
Once inside the library, Jim and Will lose no time in telling Mr. Halloway about the Carnival's wicked machinations. To their relief, Mr. Halloway believes their story. He tells the boys that the Carnival is run by the "autumn people," who function in darkness and are the physical embodiment of evil. In contrast to them are the "summer people," and Will immediately thinks this term should characterize the three of them. Halloway is quick to set him straight, explaining that every person is part summer and part autumn. Each individual must wage his own war against evil if he expects "to stave off the November chills."