Trixie goes back to Sol and tells him she's balanced the columns. "Lying with aplomb," he jokes. "You've got the true calling." She tells him that what he heard otherwise didn't concern him, and he lies with equal aplomb, saying he didn't hear anything else, just in time to receive a big smooch from Trixie, who moves her hand down his body, saying "let me work on your column, now." Man, is that what accounting majors say to each other in the throes of passion? Because, wouldn't it be awesome if it was?

At the Chez Amie, Mr. W and Carrie are hanging out. He's reading aloud from Wild Bill's last letter, critiquing Bill's story and spelling. Though they both regard it cynically -- Carrie interrupts to ask if it's "a very long letter" -- something about the way they react to the letter indicates that they are both moved by Bill's sentiments of love for his now-widowed wife. After a moment of silent reflection on the letter's closing postscript, Carrie asks Mr. W if he's "a man who needs his trousers rubbed." He takes a deep breath as if to give himself courage, and answers, "I am a man...who needs his trousers...taken off." Carrie says she can do that, and turns to face Mr. W, who suddenly seems terribly vulnerable.

Doc is doing another exam of Al's eye. It looks better. Al wants to know what good is less blood in his eye. He wants use of his limbs. "I have spent my last day abed, hearing secondhand news from imbeciles." Doc asks sarcastically whether it strikes Al as "overweening" to set terms to Nature. Al argues that he's not setting terms to Nature; he's setting them to himself. Doc pushes it. "Who has dominion over nature! Al Swearengen, owner and proprietor!" Al: "As to when he takes his leave, you're A-1 fuckin' right."

Poor ol' Johnny comes in, trying to pantomime to Al that Bullock is there to see him. "Why the fuck do you whisper?" Al asks in frustration, calling out for Bullock to come in. "I coulda said you was asleep..." Johnny says, helplessly, getting it wrong yet again.

Bullock comes in and Doc stands to leave, telling the two men to keep it "pithy and civil." Bullock reports to Al that the commissioner is all right. Al extends his whiskey bottle, offering Bullock a swig. "You wipe the rim of that bottle," he says, "and I'll knock you out from my present vantage." You know Bullock was going to wipe it, too.