The Custom of the Country

Undine writes a reply to Laura Fairford, pretending Undine is her mother. Undine “was fiercely independent and yet passionately imitative. She wanted to surprise everyone by her dash and originality, but she could not help modelling herself on the last person she met” (10). Undine and her house cleaner, Celeste, examine her options for dinner dresses. Undine practices moving around with confidence but worries about her weight. Undine carefully thinks about her first impressions of both Mr. Popple and Mr. Marvell. She’d been wrong about men before; once, she nearly lost everything to a man whom a friend named Mabel Lipscomb discovered was a professional society swindler. However, despite Mabel’s invitations, Undine hasn’t found herself closer to New York society. Undine excitedly tells her father about the invitation to the Fairford’s dinner, a major step up because Laura is related to the Dagonet family. Undine says she needs a new dress, but her father is struggling to keep up with his New York City bills.

Undine is disappointed by Laura Fairford’s dinner. She finds the Fairford house drab and the company equally unfashionable. She sits next to Ralph Marvell, who she thinks is even quieter than at the party where he first saw her. Nonetheless, Undine is impressed by Laura’s ability to include everyone in conversation. Undine is still self-conscious about her own conversational fluency and therefore is on edge during social interactions. Undine doesn’t know as much about culture and art as the other guests, so she has difficulty keeping up. Undine feels nervous when she notices the others speak with some mockery about Mr. Popple, whom she still thinks about. At the end of dinner, Mrs. Van Degen, the family’s connection to the legendary Dagonets, invites others to dinner but excludes Undine. Ralph Marvell smooths over this embarrassment when he offers to escort her home.

The Spraggs are disappointed to see that Undine is nervous on the morning after her big dinner with Mrs. Fairford. Undine asks her father to book an opera box for Friday so that she can repay Mabel’s invitations. Abner says a box is too expensive but he can buy her and Mabel orchestra seats. Undine has always had flighty desires, which her father finances, but her wants have recently annoyed both her parents. Undine goes for a ride and tries to ignore her mother, with whom she’s angry for not taking her side. Undine has always gotten what she wants, but she doesn’t appreciate how much farther her father’s money could go in Apex City than in New York City.

Undine goes to the art gallery to study the pictures that inspired discussion at the dinner. At the gallery, she’s so distracted by the illustrious Peter Van Degen that she forgets everything she tried to learn about the pictures.

Returning home, Undine finds a calling card from Ralph Marvell, who waited a long time to meet with her. Undine is determined to make New York City work; she spent her childhood dreaming of a bigger and more exciting life and was constantly in competition with wealthier girls who could afford to travel around the country and network. Undine is delighted when her father provides her with reservations for an opera box for not just one Friday but every other Friday during the season. Privately, Mrs. Spragg asks her husband if he can afford it. She asks about Elmer Moffatt again, and they both confirm their resolve to make sure Elmer and Undine don’t meet.

Undine is delighted to be among the elite in the opera boxes. She’s in a perfect situation to people-watch. Peter Van Degen notices her, and Mabel points out Claud Popple, who stops by everyone’s box to say hello except for Undine’s. When Mabel notices Ralph Marvell in Peter Van Degen’s box, Undine decides that no one is greeting them because Mabel looks and acts out of place. Peter Van Degen and Claud Popple eventually enter Undine’s box to say hello, but Undine is unimpressed by Peter’s conversation. Later, Ralph Marvell enters the box. She finds him too polite but thinks that “under his quiet words, he was throbbing with the sense of her proximity” (36). She admits that she and her parents are lonely in New York, and Ralph asks if he can visit her the next day.

As Ralph walks home, he runs into Claud Popple, who talks about how beautiful Undine is. Ralph contemplates his family’s house and speculates that their way of life will one day become extinct.

Ralph thinks about his life and how he has met every expectation of his upbringing as a gentleman except for marriage, which he has long been uninterested in—until he met Undine. Ralph worries that Undine will be swept up by people like Peter Van Degen and Claud Popple. When he tried to visit her and found her mother home alone instead, he was struck by Mrs. Spragg’s story about her husband saving her and her family from financial ruin. He wonders if his new purpose in life is to save Undine.

Mrs. Heeny helps Undine primp for dinner with the Dagonets, Ralph’s famous socialite family. They ask her about her friendship with Mabel, and Undine says she suspects Mabel will divorce Henry Lipscomb because he doesn’t help her status in society. The family is shocked at the mention of divorce, and Ralph jokes that Undine better not try to divorce him.

Undine, Ralph, and Laura Fairford go to the theater. Undine and Ralph’s engagement was announced the day before, so Undine fancies that the other women are carefully observing her. When Ralph leaves the box to greet others, Undine notices the man sitting in the box next to her. She knows him, and he begs her to see him. She agrees to visit him. When she returns home, her mother notices that she’s pale and asks if she met anyone she didn’t want to talk to at the theater.

Undine sneaks off to the park to meet with the mysterious man from the theater, who is revealed to be Elmer Moffatt. Elmer tells her about his new job as private secretary to Harmon Driscoll. Undine begs Elmer not to tell anyone about their past engagement. He gets her to promise to set up him up in business after she marries Ralph. Ralph waits for her at her hotel. When she excuses her tears by blaming the stress of wedding planning, Ralph proposes that they marry right away, without all the fanfare, and then go directly to Europe. Undine readily agrees.

Abel meets with Ralph’s grandfather to discuss the financial situation of the soon-to-be-married couple. Mr. Dagonet reveals that Ralph doesn’t make a lot of money as a lawyer and would rather spend his time writing poetry than working. Given that Abel would have to contribute to his daughter and son-in-law’s financial earnings, Abel prefers to cancel the engagement.

When Abel suggests to Undine that she should end her ties with Ralph and find someone wealthier, Undine becomes livid. If she wanted to marry for money, she could have stayed in Apex City. For Undine, marriage to Ralph is more about his social connections than his financial status. Abner suggests that if Undine is truly in love with Ralph, having a meager life with him wouldn’t be an issue. At stake is Abner’s own financial security; he thought he had a lot of time to prepare his finances for Undine’s wedding, but now that Undine and Ralph are marrying right away, he doesn’t have a plan in place to financially support her. He’s alarmed when Leota tells him that Undine encountered Elmer Moffatt at the theater earlier that week.

Abner visits the Ararat Trust Building, where Elmer works. Elmer proposes that Abner joins him in a business deal. The Driscoll family is attempting to buy water supply systems in Apex, and Abner and Elmer can be their link. Elmer threatens Abner with going public about his past relationship with Undine. However, if Abner helps Elmer secure the Apex deal for the Driscolls, they stand to earn $50,000. They’re interrupted by Ralph Marvell, who recognizes Elmer from the theater.