About this story
Max Schurz starts work at seven tomorrow; to him ten o'clock is not the beginning of an evening. You step into this one-chapter preview with Harry Oswald at the center, where choices turn on the people, promises, and pressure already in the room. Then tell us your special line at Oxford, and let the room decide what it can learn. The chapter closes on a continuation question rather than resolving the novel's larger arc.
How it opens
Sunday has run late at Epsilon Terrace, and Harry Oswald arrives in evening dress for a reception that distrusts its own collar.
Ernest Le BretonMax Schurz starts work at seven tomorrow; to him ten o'clock is not the beginning of an evening.
Herbert Le Breton rolls a cigarette while inspecting Harry's white tie as if it were a political pamphlet.
I dressed for an evening reception, not for a trial before a committee of tailors.
Ernest Le BretonThe tie announces a class before you can announce an opinion.
I will keep the tie until someone offers a better argument than embarrassment.