- Margaret, it is revealed, wasn't being entirely honest with her new friend – in fact, she thinks of herself as quite experienced.
- Even so, she isn't experienced enough to foresee the disaster that arrives when she throws a luncheon party for Mrs. Wilcox. She invites some usual Schlegel guests over; these clever people with their witty, whimsical conversations are too much for Mrs. Wilcox, and she finds herself with nothing to contribute beyond small talk.
- Margaret and her friends chatter on and on, but Mrs. Wilcox doesn't fit in with them at all. She makes herself rather unpopular with some old-fashioned statements about a woman's proper place, and excuses herself early. All the same, Margaret has the odd feeling that there's something more to her new friend than meets the eye (her old friends don't agree).