Spots 
John Bhamley, an established author, finds himself courted by an exquisite European princess writing under a pseudonym. Her seductive charm seems tailored to winning his literary devotion, yet her actual goal is far more transactional. She wants him to write a glowing preface to boost sales for her clumsy novel. Realizing he is valued only as a promotional tool, Bhamley politely retreats into the night.
Jane and Sidney Pander are scandalized when their independent niece Mora runs off to live unmarried with Walter Pander, an impoverished artist. Expecting disgrace, the couple prepares for financial ruin and social ostracism. Instead, Mora refuses their money, while the artist accepts a stipend to marry her, only for Mora to abandon him for another lover. The Panders end up trapped in financial dependence on the very bohemian they sought to pay off.
Mark Monteith returns to New York recovering from an illness and grieving the betrayal of his trusted financial manager, Phil Bloodgood, who absconded with his life savings. Seeking a sympathetic ear among old acquaintances, Monteith finds only superficial chatter and self-absorbed gossip. His search leads him to Newton Winch, a quiet recluse who reveals he too has embezzled funds. Confronted by his own guilt, Winch shoots himself before Monteith can offer absolution.
White-Mason returns to a rapidly modernizing New York contemplating marriage to Mrs. Rasper, a wealthy and ostentatious widow. Dismayed by the aggressive noise and vulgar luxury of contemporary high society, he visits Cornelia Rasch, an impoverished woman wearing mourning crape. In her quiet parlor surrounded by modest heirlooms, he finds a shared past and mutual memory that the new Gilded Age has erased. He abandons his courtship of Mrs. Rasper to linger in Cornelia's gentle world.
Herbert Dodd, a struggling seaside bookseller, loses his livelihood and social standing when his former fiancée, Kate Cookham, sues him for breach of promise. Dodd surrenders his savings, sliding into years of poverty, isolation, and bitter resentment on a public coastal bench. Decades later, Kate returns to reveal that she seized his money only to invest it wisely on his behalf. She returns the vast capital, leaving Dodd to reconcile his years of wasted grief with her fierce devotion.
Five late tales of disillusionment, social obligation, and the quiet choices that shape a life.