Edith Wharton (Novel Date 1905)

SOURCE: Wharton, Edith. Chap. 1 in The House of Mirth. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1905.

In the following first chapter from Wharton's novel The House of Mirth, Wharton introduces readers to Miss Lily Bart and Mr. Selden, the two protagonists of the novel, and addresses several of the customs of the period, including Miss Bart's desire for a flat of her own in New York.

Selden paused in surprise. In the afternoon rush of the Grand Central Station his eyes had been refreshed by the sight of Miss Lily Bart.

It was a Monday in early September, and he was returning to his work from a hurried dip into the country; but what was Miss Bart doing in town at that season? If she had appeared to be catching a train, he might have inferred that he had come on her in the...