- When Strether goes to visit Sarah Pocock the next day, he finds that Madame de Vionnet has already come to see her, and the two of them are alone together.
- But as he glances toward the window, he realizes that the two women haven't been alone. Waymarsh is in the room with them.
- He walks in just as Madame de Vionnet is making an offer to show Sarah around Paris. Sarah says that she already knows Paris, in a very I-don't-need-your-help kind of way. There's already some friction there, for sure.
- Madame de Vionnet follows up with the claim that it's always good for women to help each other out. It's pretty clear she's not just talking about giving a tour of Paris. By this point in the book these little double entendres are flying around all. The. Time.
- De Vionnet also picks up on Sarah's claim to already know Paris, and says that the Newsomes must have some sort of natural love for Paris, since Chad has fit in so well. Yeah, probably not what Sarah wants to hear.
- De Vionnet then points to Strether and says that he, even more than Chad, fell in love with Paris instantly. She praises him for his ability to just let himself go and live life. Of course, this is the total opposite of what a prude like Sarah wants to hear, so she basically gives Strether an icy stare after Madame says this.
- Strether feels like he needs to step in here and tell Madame de Vionnet that he hasn't let himself go all that much. He's lying of course, but dude needs to look like he has some sort of distance from Madame and her people. He wraps up by saying that he came to Paris to do a job and that he's done it. That's more what Sarah wants to hear.
- Waymarsh has to butt in with a comment about how Strether has let himself go, and not necessarily for the better. Madame brushes him off. You could cut the tension with a hairpin from the ninetheenth century.
- They end the meeting with Madame de Vionnet offering to have Sarah over to her place to meet her daughter, Jeanne. Sarah accepts the invitation, since she'll want to report back to her mother about the details of Madame's life. This is all starting to sound like stuff out of a spy movie.
- At this point, Madame de Vionnet tells Sarah about what a big role Maria Gostrey has played in Strether's life since he arrived in Europe. The two of them are practically inseparable.
- Strether, secretly pissed at Madame for spilling all his dirt, loosens his collar and gives a nice little "heh heh" before telling Sarah that Mrs. Newsome probably mentioned Maria Gostrey to her, since Strether has told Mrs. Newsome all about her.
- Meanwhile, Sarah's all like, "I've never heard about this person, but nice try at acting innocent, Strether."
- Madame de Vionnet won't stop going on about how close Strether and Maria are, and Strether is thinking to himself, "Please stop talking," but de Vionnet just keeps going.
- Waymarsh butts in again and says, flat out, that Maria Gostrey loves Strether. Madame de Vionnet instantly defuses this comment, though, by saying that everyone loves Strether. Yeah, this book is basically the 1903 version of Everybody Loves Raymond.
- Finally, Strether joins in on the conversation in a joking tone and says, "Oh yes. No one can be friends with Maria Gostrey but me. I keep her to myself. Heh heh." Which is meant to be an attempt at sarcasm to deflate the problem. Nice try.
- This doesn't make things any better (surprise, we know), because Madame immediately follows it up by telling Sarah that Maria is very good-looking. Sheesh, it's like she's trying to ruin Strether's relationship with Mrs. Newsome or something…
- Right in front of Sarah and Waymarsh, Strether and Madame de Vionnet then make plans to have their own private meeting the next day. It's really weird, and even kind of rude. Kind of like they're trying to scare off the Newsomes on purpose?
- Madame de Vionnet starts talking up how beautiful her daughter Jeanne is, then asks Sarah to bring Mamie Pocock—the pride of Woollett—with her the next time they meet. It's a not-so-subtle-way of saying, "We'll see who's produced a more beautiful girl, Woollett or Paris."
- Strether feels compelled to say that Jeanne de Vionnet is basically a perfect woman. And Sarah stares daggers at him for it. Really, he's kind of asking for it.
- The meeting ends, and Strether walks down with Madame to Vionnet to her waiting carriage. It looks like she has just crushed Sarah at verbal boxing. What Strether's been crushed by, we'll have to wait and see.