Age of Innocence

Here was truth, here was reality, here was the life that belonged to him!

‘And my interest in books and paintings and music, my European travels – will I be able to keep any of that up when I’m married?’ He thought about men he knew – men who in their younger days had been full of hopes and dreams, as he was now. ‘And what happened to them?’ he thought. ‘Their lives became nothing more than one long, mindless, comfortable routine of dinners and visits and evening parties.’

no serious-minded young men took holidays in mid-winter.

‘Do you think,’ she asked, looking towards the stage, ‘the lover will send her a bunch of yellow roses tomorrow morning?’

He and his family belonged to the part of New York society that believed in the importance of literature and art, but fashionable and wellborn families rarely mixed socially with artists.

Newland was sitting doing nothing in the offices of Letterblair, Lamson and Low, the firm of lawyers whom he worked for,

Would he ever be able to reach the real May Welland, through the wall of custom and social expectation which divided them? And what if, when he finally broke down the wall, there was nobody there?

Newland realized with horror that he had called her ‘Ellen’. The use of first names between young people was only permitted if they were engaged. Somewhere in his mind’s eye he could see the tall white figure of May Welland – she seemed very far away.

Isn’t that the reason for their great influence?’ she said thoughtfully. ‘It’s because they are hardly ever seen.’
He stared at her, and suddenly realized she was right. He laughed, and thought no more about the van der Luydens.

‘Probably in the same purple and yellow as at her parents’. At least I’ll be able to arrange my library as I like.’