In which Mr. Strether is drawn into the complex social interplay upon his entrance to Mrs. Pocock’s salon, where Madame de Vionnet’s arrival and the presence of Waymarsh and Sarah Pocock weave a delicate tapestry of polite conversation and concealed intentions. The nuances of Parisian acquaintance and ties to old and new friends emerge with gentle insistence, as old alliances and delicate ambitions surface beneath an exquisite surface of civility and charm.