XIV explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Art and Commerce

  Beaton refuses to paint Conrad's portrait for Dryfoos, asserting his artistic integrity, yet he is tempted by the Dryfoos fortune and the social advantages it could bring.

• Social Class and Mobility

  Beaton navigates between the wealthy Dryfoos family, the artistic set, and Margaret Vance's philanthropic circle, highlighting class distinctions and aspirations.

• Labor and Social Justice

  Conrad Dryfoos's death as a peacemaker during a strike and Margaret Vance's commitment to good works underscore the era's social conflicts and the moral response to inequality.

Characters to notice

• Angus Beaton

  Broods over Dryfoos's visit, reflects on his relationships with Christine, Alma, and Margaret, and visits Mrs. Horn to discuss Margaret's charitable turn.

• Margaret Vance

  Deeply engaged in good works; defends Conrad Dryfoos as a peacemaker and discusses his death with Beaton.

• Christine Dryfoos

  Mentioned as being ill after her brother's death; Beaton considers his attraction to her and her father's wealth.

• Conrad Dryfoos

  Deceased; his portrait is requested by his father; described as having a saintly, rustic quality and dying as a peacemaker during the strike.

• Mr. Dryfoos

  Visits Beaton to commission a portrait of Conrad; Beaton refuses, and Dryfoos is portrayed as bound up in his son despite their quarrels.

• Alma Leighton

  Mentioned in Beaton's reverie as someone who might come to regret rejecting him.

Key passages

• “He comprehended perfectly well that Dryfoos had made him that extraordinary embassy because he wished him to renew his visits, and he easily imagined the means that had brought him to this pass.”

  Beaton understood that Dryfoos's request to paint Conrad's portrait was a pretext to encourage Beaton to visit the Dryfoos home again.

  Beaton recognizes Dryfoos's ulterior motive in commissioning the portrait.

• “He had his pride in being a pagan, a Greek, but it failed him in her presence, now; and he wished that she had protested he was none.”

  Beaton usually took pride in his worldly, artistic identity, but Margaret's moral seriousness made him doubt himself, and he wanted her to disagree with his self-characterization.

  Beaton's insecurity in the face of Margaret's spiritual depth.

• “There is no comfort for us in ourselves. It's hard to get outside; but there's only despair within.”

  Margaret tells Beaton that true comfort cannot come from self-absorption; only by looking beyond oneself can one find meaning.

  Margaret's critique of Beaton's self-centeredness.