The Age of Innocence Book 1 Chapter 12

In which Newland Archer moves through the familiar yet divided terrain of old New York society, reflecting on its customs and the uneasy boundaries that separate its genteel world from the bohemian quarters of artists and writers. He visits the enigmatic Countess Olenska, whose wistful longing for freedom and normalcy unsettles him as they cautiously navigate the delicate and unspoken intricacies of her past and the harsh judgments of their shared social milieu.