The House of Mirth

An urgent legal case takes Selden to Paris, but after business, Selden enjoys a week’s vacation in Monte Carlo in mid-April. He encounters friends from New York: Carry Fisher, the Wellington Brys, and the Jack Stepneys, accompanied by Lord Hubert Dacey who acts as a guide for the wealthy on tour. They welcome Selden into their group as they find a place to lunch. The travelers see the yacht, Sabrina, arrive in the bay, bringing the George Dorsets, Ned Silverton, and Lily back from a visit to Sicily early. Carry confides in Selden that Lily looks a decade younger and that she has been a great social success in Monaco, which provokes Bertha Dorset’s envy.

Selden did not expect to meet Lily on the Riviera and he is surprised that the news of her proximity disturbs him. After his sharp disillusionment, he had three months of professional work to clear his mind. He was so relieved to escape from the danger of entanglement with Lily that he had not realized he still felt the hurt. On a walk with Carry, Selden learns that 10 years ago, an Italian prince wanted to marry Lily, but she flirted with the prince’s good-looking stepson and the marriage plans were cancelled.