What do David and Marita talk about after David writes about the skeleton of the female elephant?

In Chapter 22, David and Marita discuss David's book about the First World War, which Marita has been reading. David says he never knew what he felt about the war until it was over. Marita asks to read the longer narrative manuscript, the one about Catherine and le Grau de Roi. David asks her not to, but she admits that Catherine has already showed it to her.