Can You Forgive Her? · Chapter
The Balcony at Basle explained
Alice, Kate, and George Vavasor conclude their Swiss tour in Basle.
What happens
Alice, Kate, and George Vavasor conclude their Swiss tour in Basle. On the hotel balcony overlooking the Rhine, they reflect on their journey and its costs. Kate leaves Alice and George alone, leading to a tense, intimate conversation where George abruptly asks Alice when she will marry John Grey.
Themes in this chapter
Duty vs. Desire
Alice feels torn between her duty to John Grey and the dangerous attraction of being alone with George.
Love and Marriage
George's cynical philosophy on marriage contrasts with Alice's impending marriage to John Grey.
Characters to notice
- Alice Vavasor
Reflects on the tour and her future with John Grey; feels the danger of being alone with George.
- George Vavasor
Enjoys the tour as a despot; philosophizes about marriage and poetry; asks Alice about her wedding date.
- Kate Vavasor
Praises the tour's success despite financial ruin; leaves Alice and George alone on the balcony.
- John Grey
Mentioned as Alice's fiancé; his earlier letter about the tour is recalled.
Key passages
“Girls are always happier in spoiling some man than in being spoiled by men.”
Women find more joy in pampering a man than in being pampered themselves.
Narrator's observation on the dynamic between Alice, Kate, and George.
“In this world things are beautiful only because they are not quite seen, or not perfectly understood.”
Beauty depends on mystery and incomplete knowledge.
George's poetic philosophy about mountains and life.