Notes

Chapter 2 gives us the first description of the "lady" of the novelÂ’s title, Isabel Archer. Her reception by the three men on the lawn is probably as important to the narrative to come as is the description of her. She first meets Ralph Touchett, the sickly young man, and charms him by her self-possession and her impulsive ability to love as shown in her embrace of RalphÂ’s dog. With Ralph, she also insists on her independence. When he asks her if his mother has adopted her, she blushes and then asserts that she is not a candidate for adoption. Ralph is obviously already quite taken with her. He hurries to apologize for the faulty assumption, but has suddenly become inarticulate. By the end of the scene, Ralph has given her is dog and has determined to make his mother extend unlimited hospitality to Isabel at their house.

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