Mr. Incoul’s Misadventure · Chapter
Mr. Incoul explained
The chapter introduces Harmon Incoul, a wealthy widower whose wife died of pneumonia after fifteen years of marriage.
What happens
The chapter introduces Harmon Incoul, a wealthy widower whose wife died of pneumonia after fifteen years of marriage. Initially expected never to remarry, he spends two years in solitude before gradually re-entering society. At a reception, he meets the young Maida Barhyte and, after a brief conversation, asks her a startling question, indicating his intention to call on her.
Themes in this chapter
Wealth and Power
Mr. Incoul's proverbial wealth, inherited real estate, and ability to rebuild a mansion on Madison Avenue underscore the theme of wealth as a defining social force.
Marriage as Transaction
The chapter sets up Mr. Incoul's potential remarriage as a social and personal transaction, following the death of his first wife.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Incoul
Protagonist; wealthy widower, nearly forty, with a vindictive past but a model married life; begins to re-engage with society and takes an interest in Maida Barhyte.
- Miss Maida Barhyte
A delicious young girl whom Mr. Incoul meets at a reception; he is drawn to her and asks her a question that startles her.
- Mr. Blydenburg
A florid, talkative widower and friend of Mr. Incoul; visits for chess and is present at the reception.
- Mrs. Incoul
Deceased wife of Mr. Incoul; died of pneumonia after fifteen years of marriage; described as sweet and benevolent.
- Mr. Wainwaring
An acquaintance of Mr. Incoul, present at the reception.
Key passages
“When Harmon Incoul’s wife died, the world in which he lived said that he would not marry again.”
After his wife's death, society assumed Mr. Incoul would remain a widower.
Establishes the social expectation and sets up the narrative of his potential remarriage.
“He was too energetic to be a dilettante, he had no taste for horseflesh, the game of speculation did not interest him, and his artistic tendencies were few.”
Mr. Incoul was not a dabbler; he lacked interest in horses, gambling, and the arts.
Highlights his limited personal interests and his energetic, focused nature.
“At some entertainment he met a delicious young girl, Miss Maida Barhyte by name, whom for the moment he admired impersonally, as he might have admired a flower, and until he saw her again, forgot her very existence.”
He first met Maida Barhyte at a party, admiring her briefly like a flower, then forgot her until they met again.
Introduces Maida and Mr. Incoul's initial detached admiration.