Aschenbach is being rowed on the water. He can smell disinfectant. There are notices in the streets warning people to be careful of the sickness. In a German newspaper he reads that the sickness in Venice is cholera. It says that all German people should leave the city and return home. Aschenbach does not want the Polish family to leave Venice. He does not want them to know about the cholera. He follows then to a café and to church, but he still cannot find the courage to speak to them. After dinner the guests watch a group of actors. Aschenbach notices that Tadzio, like himself, cannot laugh at their jokes.