Soon, a man boards the train and asks if the seat next to her is occupied. They proceed to make small talk, and Rose notices his collar. The man identifies himself as a United Church minister who's off-duty. He discusses an experience he had observing Canadian geese and wild swans in a field during another trip. Rose goes along with the conversation to be polite: ''She remained slightly smiling, so as not to seem rude, not to seem to be rejecting conversation altogether.'' Yet, it's clear that Rose is uncomfortable because she starts inching closer to the window, away from the man sitting next to her.