The Marrow of Tradition

Major Carteret invites Ellis for a carriage ride along with Olivia and Clara. On the hour-long ride to the hotel, the major complains about the black citizens of Wellington. Ellis laments Clara’s coldness to him. When they arrive at the hotel, Clara asks Ellis to look for Tom—Ellis finds him passed-out drunk in the middle of a card game on the second floor. When he returns, claiming he has no knowledge of Tom’s whereabouts, Clara decides to go up to the second floor to play piano. Ellis does not wish her to see her fiancé in such a state and blame him, so he sends a servant ahead to close the door to the room where Tom is passed out. Clara does not see him upon going up or downstairs. Tom eventually joins the party out on the beach, claiming he had been ill; Clara is cold to him and kind to Ellis. She asks Ellis if Tom were “really sick” (98), and again, Ellis declines to answer. The ride home is near silent, and Tom finds himself annoyed by Ellis’ condescending behavior and Clara’s rejection.