A Lost Lady

In May, Mrs. Forrester comes into Judge Pommeroy’s office, smiling and coaxing Niel to notice her new clothes, which she says are the first she has had in many years. Niel tells her that they are very pretty. Trying to charm Niel, Mrs. Forrester asks him to come to dinner on Friday. She teases that he may not like some of the boys she has also invited: “You mustn’t be so stiff, so—so superior! It isn’t becoming, at your age” (91). She mimics his frown and makes him laugh. Niel agrees to come to dinner, though he is angry with himself afterward for letting her persuade him.

Niel is the last to arrive at dinner. Young men from town are sitting in the dining room, and Ivy Peters is mixing cocktails. His sister Annie is helping Mrs. Forrester in the kitchen. Niel notices that the fine china and silver are laid out, though he reflects that the other young men have no clue about the finery. The young men display poor manners, though they defer to Ivy; “no matter what [Ivy] did or said, they laughed—in recognition of his general success” (92). The boys stand awkwardly when Mrs.