The narrator returns to Petrus with the bad news. He tries to explain the medical officer’s reasoning. Petrus listens silently, his face expressionless. Then he says, quietly, “He said he would come back. He said he would not stay here.” Petrus is referring to a promise Johannes made before he died—a promise to return home.
The narrator attempts to fix the mistake, but he is met with indifference from the officials. Ultimately, the money is lost, the brother is never found, and the family is left with nothing. six feet of the country by nadine gordimer summary