The House of Mirth

Selden’s library is unchanged since that September day two years earlier, but the shaded lamps and little fire on the hearth give it a sweeter intimacy in the early evening. Lily tells a surprised Selden that she was sorry for how they had parted that day at Mrs. Hatch’s. Lily explains that she left Mrs. Hatch soon afterward but she had not admitted to Selden that she understood what he meant about the unsuitability of the situation.

Selden gently offers her tea, seeing Lily’s tiredness. Lily sheds a few tears, but refuses the tea, saying she must leave in a moment. Lily notices a constraint in Selden and views herself as forever shut out from his innermost feelings. However, she feels that “whether he wished it or not, he must see her wholly for once before they parted” (324). Lily tells him that she has never forgotten the things he said to her at Bellomont and that his comments had kept her from mistakes—from becoming what many people thought her to be. Lily reveals to Selden that she knows that once or twice he gave her the chance to escape from her life, but that she refused because of cowardice. When she realized her error, it was too late.