The Bostonians

Verena believes Olive is even more “remarkable than Mrs. Tarrant suspected” (83). Mrs. Tarrant is disappointed that Verena, in her visits to Olive, has not “obtained more insight into the world of fashion” (83). She also wonders why Olive has not visited the Tarrant home. Verena suspects Olive is trying to “detach her from her parents altogether” (84).

Mrs. Tarrant, hoping to meet Mrs. Luna, invents an excuse to visit Olive. Verena herself desires to “resemble” Mrs. Luna, who “fascinate[s] her” (85). Mrs. Luna is constantly going to “dinners and concerts” (85), and Olive seems to not allow Verena a chance to speak with her.

When Verena asks Olive why Mrs. Luna does not visit them in Cambridge, Olive is “jealous”—she does not “wish to think of the girl’s belonging to any one but herself” (85). However, Olive does not tell Verena that she hates the Tarrants. She deduces Verena is too “supremely innocent” (86) to properly judge her parents. Olive does appreciate that Dr. Tarrant is of low birth and that Verena has known the pain of “going without food” (86). She acknowledges that she will have to visit the Tarrants once and is consoled that she will “suffer intensely” (87), for suffering is like “cash in her pocket” (87).