The Age of Innocence Chapter 31 Summary

  • On his way home, Archer decides to make a stop by the Beauforts's house to see if he can catch Madame Olenska.
  • He watches Madame Olenska leave the Beauforts's house, then walks up to her and asks her to meet him at the Museum the next day.
  • They meet at the Metropolitan Museum the next day at 2:30 in the afternoon and wander over to the Cesnola antiquities.
  • There, once again, Archer tries to convince Ellen to run away with him. She refuses and then suggests that she come to meet him once alone, presumably for love-making, before she returns to her Count. Otherwise, she couldn't bear to stay and hurt everybody with their affair.
  • Archer agrees, and they agree to meet the day after tomorrow.
  • When Archer arrives home, May isn't there, so he sits in the library to think things over.
  • When May enters, she tells Archer that she had a long talk with Ellen and decided that Ellen isn't such an awful person after all.
  • They get up to get ready for a dinner date. May embraces Archer and reminds him that he hasn't kissed her yet today.