IV explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Art and Commerce

  Beaton's artistic identity is contrasted with his social maneuvering; Wetmore's comments highlight the challenges women face in the art world.

• Urban vs. Rural Life

  Mrs. Horn's patronizing view of the Leightons' move from St. Barnaby to New York underscores the perceived risks of urban life for rural newcomers.

Characters to notice

• Angus Beaton

  Attends Mrs. Horn's tea, feels indignation at her patronizing attitude, and later visits the Leightons after a period of neglect.

• Mrs. Horn

  Hosts an afternoon tea; expresses condescending concern for the Leightons' move to New York.

• Alma Leighton

  Miss Woodburn fetches her; she hesitates on the stairs before going down to see Beaton.

• Mrs. Leighton

  Receives Beaton with a welcome marked by resentment for his delayed visit.

• Miss Woodburn

  Chatters with Beaton and goes to fetch Alma at Mrs. Leighton's behest.

• Mr. Wetmore

  Discusses Alma's artistic prospects with Beaton at a restaurant, expressing skepticism about women in art.

Key passages

• “The day wasted away in Beaton’s hands; at half-past four o’clock he went out to tea at the house of a lady who was At Home that afternoon from four till seven.”

  Beaton idled away the day until late afternoon, when he attended a tea hosted by a lady who received guests between four and seven.

  Sets the scene for Beaton's social obligations and his tendency to procrastinate.

• “The patronizing compassion of Mrs. Horn for the Leightons filled him with indignation toward her, toward himself.”

  Mrs. Horn's condescending pity for the Leightons made Beaton angry at both her and himself.

  Reveals Beaton's conflicted feelings about his own neglect of the Leightons.

• “He had no scruple about breaking an engagement or failing to keep an appointment; he made promises without thinking of their fulfilment, and not because he was a faithless person, but because he was imaginative, and expected at the time to do what he said, but was fickle, and so did not.”

  Beaton often broke promises not out of dishonesty but because he was imaginative and fickle, expecting to follow through but then changing his mind.

  Character analysis of Beaton's moral carelessness and its social consequences.

• “Even when they have talent they’ve got too much against them. Where a girl doesn’t seem very strong, like Miss Leighton, no amount of chic is going to help.”

  Even talented women face overwhelming obstacles; for a delicate girl like Miss Leighton, style alone won't ensure success.

  Wetmore's dismissive view of women in art reflects period attitudes.