Maggie waits for Amerigo to return home. He has been away with Charlotte. Maggie is anxious about her appearance; she compares herself unfavorably to the fashionable Charlotte. Telling herself to relax and not to be impatient, Maggie cannot help but be anxious for her husband’s return. She worries about the amount of time that he spends with Charlotte, often alone. Maggie loves her husband, as she has done since he first proposed to her in Italy, but she is increasingly aware of how much more she needs him. Maggie has spent much of her time with her father, but this was not her intention. She had hoped that her husband and her father would become friends, but they have not. Instead, her husband and her father’s wife have found equal solace in their shared ostracization. Maggie feels “very much alone” (331).

When Amerigo returns, he provides a brief description of the day but complains that he is very tired. He must prepare himself for the evening meal. He refuses Maggie’s offer to help him bathe and dress. Maggie is perturbed that she can only be a hindrance in her husband’s preparations. Maggie feels isolated from both Amerigo and Charlotte. She senses that she is losing a husband and a friend.