House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

“A-hem- nothing of this, eh, Selden? As one of the family, I know I may count on you- appearances are deceptive- and Fifth avenue is so imperfectly lighted (Wharton, 131)"

                In the words of Sherlock Holmes, the plot thickens. Seeing his beloved Lily leaving Trenor’s when his wife isn’t present, Selden concluded the worst. He believes that there is a romance between the two. He is disgusted because first of all, Trenor married Judy. Also, Lily fraternizes with a married man without the wife nearby. This escalates the action. Now, Selden encounters the other side of Lily Bart that he always forced out of his mind. Beforehand, he listened to the demeaning gossip at the house of Mrs. Fisher. Coupled with the the implications of Lily departing the house, the significance of the evening is too much to handle for Selden. He leaves without saying goodbye to Lily and goes to Havana.