The Age of Innocence

Newland Archer, during this brief episode, had been thrown into a strange state ofembarrassment.It was annoying that the box which was thus attracting the undivided attention of masculineNew York should be that in which his betrothed was seated between her mother and aunt; and for amoment he could not identify the lady in the Empire dress, nor imagine why her presence createdsuch excitement among the initiated.

Then light dawned on him, and with it came a momentary rushof indignation.

No, indeed; no one would have thought the Mingotts would have tried it on!But they had; they undoubtedly had; for the low-toned comments behind him left no doubt inArcher's mind that the young woman was May Welland's cousin, the cousin always referred to in thefamily as "poor Ellen Olenska." Archer knew that she had suddenly arrived from Europe a day ortwo previously; he had even heard from Miss Welland (not disapprovingly) that she had been to seepoor Ellen, who was staying with old Mrs. Mingott. Archer entirely approved of family solidarity,and one of the qualities he most admired in the Mingotts was their resolute championship of the fewblack sheep that their blameless stock had produced.

There was nothing mean or ungenerous in theyoung man's heart, and he was glad that his future wife should not be restrained by false pruderyfrom being kind (in private) to her unhappy cousin; but to receive Countess Olenska in the familycircle was a different thing from producing her in public, at the Opera of all places, and in the verybox with the young girl whose engagement to him, Newland Archer, was to be announced within afew weeks.

No, he felt as old Sillerton Jackson felt; he did not think the Mingotts would have tried iton!