During the whole time at the manor Reinhard is not able to express his thoughts. He decides to abandon Immensee early next morning, leaving a note behind but Elisabeth surprises him when she anticipates his plan to depart and never come back. He withdraws himself from her sight stepping outside and taking off.
At late dusk, in his mind's eye, the old man once more catches sight of the water lily on the lake through the window. The lily seems to be close but still unreachable. He remembers his bygone youth and delves into his studies, to which he dedicated a lot of time in the past.