The Portrait of a Lady

Returning to the present, Ralph eagerly goes to meet his mother, Mrs. Touchett, at 7 P.M. as instructed. Mrs. Touchett is in many ways the more paternal of his parents in her distancing herself from family members, but she is nevertheless extremely fond of Ralph and insists they spend time with another. The usual arrangement is that Ralph spends three months a year with her in Florence.

Ralph tends to be motherly in nature and takes after Mr. Touchett in this temperament. Mr. Touchett arrived in England some thirty years ago to pursue a lucrative role in the banking industry. He aspired to become accepted as a local in England but to never become truly English, valuing his American identity over European culture.

Ralph is an amalgamation of his blended American and English upbringing. After earning a degree at Harvard University in the United States, he assimilated many British attitudes by then attending Oxford University in England. Ralph traveled and also worked in the banking industry for Mr. Touchett, but after falling ill with consumption, now lives a comfortable life between Gardencourt and European destinations such as Florence. Despite knowing of his certain early death, Ralph is convinced that he has a few more years ahead of him.

Ralph discusses his cousin Isabel with Mrs. Touchett, who admires her niece—particularly her independence—but also recognizes that Isabel is naïve to most workings of the world. For example, Isabel believes she has paid her own way to England without realizing that her aunt has covered a number of expenses. Mrs. Touchett tells Ralph that she wants Mr. Touchett to invite Isabel to stay at Gardencourt for a suitable period, before she takes her niece to visit Italy and France so that she can experience more of Europe. Mrs. Touchett is quite certain that Lord Warburton will not be able to handle her headstrong niece if the neighboring lord shows interest. At one point during their conversation, Ralph jokes that he speaks of his cousin Isabel as though she is a piece of “property.”

After a family dinner, Isabel asks Ralph to show her his art collection that he has personally curated at Gardencourt. He suggests that they wait until the morning, when the light suits the artworks better, but Isabel is keen to see them immediately. As Ralph shows her the collection, he is affected by Isabel’s curiosity and thirst for knowledge. He judges that she has good taste in art despite her lack of familiarity in this area.

Isabel then surprises Ralph by asking whether there are any ghosts at Gardencourt, due to the estate’s age. He tells her only those who have suffered see ghosts; she has so far experienced a wonderful life, and he hopes it remains this way so that Isabel will never see any ghosts. He tells Isabel that in the interests of her happiness he “shall be very happy to contribute to it.”

Isabel reveals to Ralph that she enjoyed meeting Mr. Touchett and Lord Warburton. She also likes Mrs. Touchett, particularly because her aunt does not expect anyone to like her somewhat prickly personality. Isabel also tells Ralph that she likes him, and that she recognizes he is in many ways the opposite to his mother, for he cares greatly what other people think of him. The two cousins agree that they should live life as happily as possible.