The Bostonians

Olive believes Dr. Tarrant would take money to let Verena live with her. She cannot believe Dr. and Mrs. Tarrant are Verena’s parents. It pains Olive to hear Dr. Tarrant discuss his daughter’s gifts because it reminds her of when he laid his hands on Verena’s head to help her speak. She vows to prevent this from happening again; if Verena needs help, she herself will provide it.

Verena tells Olive she sometimes goes with Mr. Pardon to the theater, and Olive is concerned that such an excursion might lead to Verena getting married—an idea that “made her look with suspicion upon all [her] male acquaintance” (92).

Two Harvard law students are also present at the Tarrants’ home. Noticing that Verena speaks to them with pleasure, Olive wonders if Verena frequently entertains young men. She believes Verena has been “sent into the world for a very different purpose” (93) than talking pleasantly with men. Though she assures herself Verena is merely “enchantingly and universally genial” (94), in truth, she does not know “whether Verena were a flirt or not” (94).

Olive feels that the two young men, Mr. Gracie and Mr. Burrage, are insulting toward women and that Verena is too innocent “to perceive this outrage” (94). Though Verena is vaguely aware of “the cruelty of man” (94), the threat is “abstract” (94). Noticing that Mr. Burrage is handsome and amusing, Olive fears that he will “fall in love” (95) with Verena and “try to bribe her” (95).

28-year-old Matthias Pardon, a “brilliant young interviewer on the Boston press” (96) who sees people as “food for newsboys” (96), is one of the only men Mrs. Tarrant would approve of to marry Verena. Mr. Pardon believes it would be an “advantage” for Verena to marry a man involved with the newspapers.

Mr. Pardon tells Olive that “lady-writers” are “naturally more chatty” (97) and that their work tends to be appealing only to other women. Olive decides he is not a threat to Verena, who will soon learn that he is “very inferior” (97). Mr. Pardon hopes Olive will not “exercise any influence that would prevent Miss Tarrant from taking the rank that belonged to her” (98). He continues to offend her, but she does not want to leave Verena in the midst of so many men who would exploit her.

Mr. Burrage and Mr. Gracie encourage Verena to “give them a little specimen of inspirational speaking” (100) because they are “sunk in ignorance and prejudice” (101). Verena looks to Olive, unsure what Olive would have her do. Olive believes that to the men, Verena is a mere “show” (102) and that they are “laughing at her shamelessly” (102). She tells Verena that the men are “not worth addressing” (102).

Olive draws Verena outside, where she begs Verena not to “fail” her (103) and warns her that the men inside “care only for their pleasure” (104). She requests that Verena promise never to marry. After consideration, Verena decides that “it would give her so much pleasure” (105) to make this promise to Olive.

Verena promises Olive she will not to marry, but Olive now believes Verena must “pass through a certain phase” (106) and that she herself must not get in the way. She wants Verena to save herself with “growth” of “perception” (108).

Verena is “completely under her influence” (108). Were it not for Olive, Verena would not often think about women’s emancipation, but she finds Olive “historic and philosophic” (108). She also dreads upsetting Olive, whose “displeasures, disappointments, disapprovals were tragic” (108).

In December, Mr. Pardon visits Olive to ask what Olive “meant to do” (110) with Verena, for he wants to bring Verena out to the public. He believes Verena is “a great card, and [that] some one ought to play it” (110). He wonders if Olive would like to “divide […] the responsibilities” (111).

Olive believes earning a “profit from Verena” (111) is “base” (111). Mr. Pardon insists that he just wants to “make history” helping women (111). Olive is upset by the idea that she would “owe her emancipation to such a one as Matthias Pardon” (112).

Mr. Pardon tells her she is “selfish” and that if she “sacrifice[s] a beautiful nature to her antediluvian theories of love of power” (113), the press, “whose business it was to expose wrong-doing” (113), would attack her. Olive is unmoved by this threat. She sees that “the battle had begun” (113) and feels “the ecstasy of the martyr” (113).

A week later, Verena tells Olive that she rejected a marriage proposal from Mr. Pardon. She hopes that now Olive “believe[s] in her” (113) because Mr. Pardon’s proposal is “more attractive” than Olive “seem[s] able to understand” (113). If she were to marry Mr. Pardon, she would “wake up famous” (113), and she finds the prospect “rather dazzling” (113). Olive explains that his proposal is “a mere trap and lure” (114). She is comforted that Verena has “made a sacrifice” (114).

Mr. Burrage visits the Tarrants frequently. When he invites Verena to visit his house to look at his collection of rare objects, Verena asks Olive to join her so Olive can tell her “whether she ought to respect Mr. Burrage” (116). Olive reminds herself that Verena is going through “a phase” (116). She declines to go with Verena, and Mrs. Tarrant goes instead.

Mr. Burrage invites Verena to tea with his mother, and Olive joins her. Verena believes Olive to have “the truth” (117) and appears to care “more for her friend’s opinion of Henry Burrage than for her own” (117). Olive is dismayed that he is “so good-humoured, so amusing, so friendly and considerate” (117) that she cannot find a reason to dislike him. Mr. Burrage begins playing the piano, and Olive cannot help but be admit he is talented.

Mr. Burrage’s mother asks Verena to stay with her in New York, and Verena agrees. After looking at Olive’s disapproving face, however, Verena asks Mrs. Burrage if she agrees with their cause. When Mrs. Burrage says she does, Verena tells Mr. Burrage that she must spend all her time with people who do not agree with her views.  Olive tells Verena that she should only respect Mr. Burrage “as a pianist” (121).

Verena stays with Olive for a few days. Verena wishes to “just to take men as they are, and not have to think about their badness” (121). Olive says it would be easy to “abandon the struggle” (122). Verena insists she will not do so. Olive believes that with the “partnership of their two minds” (122), they can succeed.

By Christmas, in New York, Mrs. Luna has engaged Basil to handle her business affairs. Basil does not yet have many clients, and Mrs. Luna fears he does not eat dinner every night. Mrs. Luna is more and more attracted to Basil and has considered hiring Basil to be her son Newton’s tutor.

Olive believes her sister lives a “personal, egotistical life” (124). Mrs. Luna, who seeks to marry again, believes that if feminists take control of government “they would be worse despots than those who were celebrated in history” (125). According to Olive, the conservative Mrs. Luna and Basil deserve each other: Their union would “be the way poetic justice ought to work” (125). She finds Newton to be “insufferably forward and selfish” (124), for he is “coddled and caressed” (124) by his mother.

Rancor soon develops among the feminists. Mrs. Farrinder offends Olive by being unimpressed with Verena, and Olive begins to feel that “Mrs. Farrinder want[s] to keep the movement in her own hands” (127). Mrs. Farrinder also believes Olive’s mentorship of Verena is “a kind of elderly, ridiculous doll-dressing” (127). Verena is dismayed that she is now alienated from other feminists, but because she is under Olive’s heavy influence, “there was no sacrifice to which she would not have consented” (127).

Without Verena’s knowledge, Olive pays Dr. Tarrant to allow Verena to live with her. She feels guilty for this “deception” (128) but also is willing to deceive Verena again if necessary. When Dr. Tarrant asks what Olive would do with Verena, Olive merely gives him a large check and tells him to contact her in a year. Mrs. Tarrant agrees to the arrangement because she is happy for the money.

Verena’s only hesitation about living with Olive separating from her mother, but Olive allows Verena to visit her mother as often as she’d like. Verena is now “completely under the charm” of Olive (130). Whereas before, she was drawn to Olive’s “authority” (130) and “stronger will” (130), now she is “attached to the precious things they were to do together” (130).

Mr. Burrage visits Verena frequently. Olive, with “a sense of real heroism” (131), accepts his visits. He proposes marriage in March, and Verena is proud to tell Olive that she refused him, despite secretly wanting to marry him. Olive has convinced herself that Verena would remain unmarried of her own volition. However, in order to ensure that Verena does not grow attached to any suitors, Olive plans a year-long European excursion. Mr. Burrage returns to New York without saying goodbye.

Verena notices that her parents are more financially comfortable than they were before and learns that Olive paid them. Verena is not upset—she does not consider that her parents have been “silenced by money” (134) because she is “too rancourless” to sense insults or indecency.

Olive believes that, as they have dedicated themselves to the cause, they deserve material finery, which Verena enjoys. Olive hosts many committee meetings, during which Verena largely remains silent: It is understood that Olive works on the “preparation of the platform” (135) and that Verena will be her voice.

Verena and Olive spend their time gazing out the window, discussing history, and reading books about the oppression of women. Verena points out that some women in power have also been evil; they conclude that these women were influenced by men. They frequently visit Miss Birdseye, who is preparing to retire and likes to reminisce about her past work. The stories of her sacrifices inspire Olive.

Olive has been studying the subject of women’s suffering for so long that she is able to eloquently convey her knowledge to Verena. Enthralled, Verena agrees with her more and more.