The Age of Innocence

Newland and May get married on the Tuesday after Easter. Ellen is apparently too unwell to attend the wedding, although she sends May old lace as a wedding gift. However, the house intended for their wedding night has sprung a leak, so right after the wedding, the newlyweds go to the van der Luydens’—the same house where Archer met Ellen. May is excited, as Ellen raved about the picturesque place. 

May and Archer are on a six-month-long honeymoon in Europe. They are in London during autumn; there, they dine with May’s acquaintance Mrs. Carfry. May is dismissive of the Carfry family’s young French tutor, judging him as common. Her stance disappoints Archer.

In general, the more he gets to know May, the more he dislikes her. May cares about clothes more than Archer expected; she spends a month in Paris with a dressmaker. She also favors sports over culture, being an eager to try out the new game of lawn tennis. Traveling does not really interest her, and she is ready to get back to New York. Archer treats his wife as his friends treat theirs—an innocent who must be protected from places like Italy, considered a more warm-blooded part of Europe.