The Sword of Damocles · Chapter
The Rubicon explained
Bertram Mandeville, having learned that his 'sweet young friend' is Miss Preston, the daughter of a wealthy and aristocratic banker, feels his hopes are dashed.
What happens
Bertram Mandeville, having learned that his 'sweet young friend' is Miss Preston, the daughter of a wealthy and aristocratic banker, feels his hopes are dashed. Despite this, he resolves to see her again and arranges a meeting at a party. They meet, and although she is initially agitated, she appreciates his discretion. She tells him they can never be friends, but he presses for a reason. She implies it is due to his profession as a musician. Determined, Mandeville decides to confront Mr. Preston at his club, hoping to win his approval. However, Mr. Preston expresses his disdain for musicians, stating he would have more respect for his bank clerk. This encounter leaves Mandeville's hopes in jeopardy, and he contemplates his next move.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Ambition
Mandeville's ambition to marry Miss Preston is challenged by the rigid class distinctions and Mr. Preston's belief that a musician is beneath his family's social standing.
Appearance vs. Reality
Mandeville presents himself as a stranger to Miss Preston at the party, hiding their prior acquaintance. Mr. Preston's outward austerity masks a deeper prejudice against artists.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Mandeville
Resolves to see Miss Preston again and arranges a meeting. He confronts Mr. Preston about his profession, hoping to win his approval, but is met with disdain.
- Paula
Meets Mandeville at a party. She is agitated but appreciates his discretion. She tells him they can never be friends, hinting that his profession is the reason.
- Mr. Preston
Expresses his strong prejudice against musicians, stating he would have more respect for his bank clerk. He is a wealthy banker who values Dutch ancestry and business force.
- Farrar
Mandeville's friend who helps him get invited to the same house as Miss Preston, though he is unaware of Mandeville's true intentions.
Key passages
“He is a money worshipper... The bluest of blue Presbyterians... The enemy of presumption and anything that looks like an overweening confidence in one's own worth or capabilities... A man who would beggar himself to save the honor of a corporation with which he was concerned, but who would not invite to his table the most influential man connected with it if that man was unable to trace his family back to the old Dutch settlers to which Mr. Preston's own ancestors belonged.”
Various acquaintances describe Mr. Preston as a man who worships money, is strictly religious, despises arrogance, and values family lineage above all else, even to the point of snubbing influential self-made men.
This establishes Mr. Preston's character and the social barriers Mandeville faces.
“It is very good in you to talk to me as though we were the strangers that people believe us. I appreciate it and thank you very much. But it is not being just true; that is I feel as if I were not being just true, and as we can never be friends, would it not be better for us not to meet in this way any more?”
Paula thanks Mandeville for pretending they are strangers but says it feels dishonest. Since they can never be friends, she suggests they should stop meeting.
Paula is conflicted, acknowledging Mandeville's kindness but also the impossibility of their friendship due to social constraints.
“A jingler on the piano, eh? Pretty poor use for a man to put his brains to, I say, or even his fingers. Sorry to hear we cannot be friends.”
Mr. Preston dismisses Mandeville's profession as a musician, calling it a poor use of a man's abilities and stating they cannot be friends.
This is the pivotal moment where Mandeville's hopes are crushed by Mr. Preston's prejudice.