The House of Mirth Book One Chapter 02

In which Miss Lily Bart navigates the delicate intricacies of social obligation and personal impulse during a train journey, deftly engaging the shy and innocent Mr. Percy Gryce in conversation while warding off the uneasy attentions of Mr. Simon Rosedale. Through subtle artifice and a keen understanding of human foibles, she orchestrates a charming if cautious reprieve from the pressing threats of her world, only to be interrupted by the voluble arrival of Mrs. George Dorset.