Епоха невинності

           But,afterall,ifthiswerethecase,wasitnotworsethanifshehadleftNewYorkfortheexpresspurposeofmeetinghim?Ifshehaddonethat,sheceasedtobeanobjectofinterest,shethrewinherlotwiththevulgarestofdissemblers:awomanengagedinaloveaffairwithBeaufort"classed"herselfirretrievably.No,itwasworseathousandtimesif,judgingBeaufort,andprobablydespisinghim,shewasyetdrawntohimbyallthatgavehimanadvantageovertheothermenabouther:hishabitoftwocontinentsandtwosocieties,hisfamiliarassociationwithartistsandactorsandpeoplegenerallyintheworld’seye,andhiscarelesscontemptforlocalprejudices.Beaufortwasvulgar,hewasuneducated,hewaspurse-proud;butthecircumstancesofhislife,andacertainnativeshrewdness,madehimbetterworthtalkingtothanmanymen,morallyandsociallyhisbetters,whosehorizonwasboundedbytheBatteryandtheCentralPark.Howshouldanyonecomingfromawiderworldnotfeelthedifferenceandbeattractedbyit?MadameOlenska,inaburstofirritation,hadsaidtoArcherthatheandshedidnottalkthesamelanguage;andtheyoungmanknewthatinsomerespectsthiswastrue.ButBeaufortunderstoodeveryturnofherdialect,andspokeitfluently:hisviewoflife,histone,hisattitude,weremerelyacoarserreflectionofthoserevealedinCountOlenski’sletter.ThismightseemtobetohisdisadvantagewithCountOlenski’swife;butArcherwastoointelligenttothinkthatayoungwomanlikeEllenOlenskawouldnecessarilyrecoilfromeverythingthatremindedherofherpast.