A Boy and his Girl by Edgar Saltus
Mrs. Vivian, a wealthy and imperious widow of forty who looks twenty-eight, sits up in her library until three in the morning waiting for her son Alfred to come home. When he finally arrives in evening dress, she presses him about the young woman who has kept him out, and he confesses that he has become engaged to a Miss Pelham, whom he calls Sadie. Mrs. Vivian, unimpressed, demands to see her photograph and mocks the girl's evident theatrical looks, guessing correctly that she is a chorus girl living at The Amsterdam hotel and supported by a conveniently "well off" uncle. Alfred insists Sadie is a decent, splendid girl and vows that if his mother will not support the marriage, he will work his fingers to the bone to build a future for them both. Mrs. Vivian, certain the girl is after the family money, sends her son to bed without revealing what she intends to do. The next day at luncheon, Mrs. Vivian surprises Alfred by asking whether Sadie has a matinée or rehearsal that afternoon, and, learning she does not, instructs him to bring her to the house. Alfred is delighted, certain his mother has relented, and boasts that he told Sadie she would come around. Mrs. Vivian warns him dryly that at his age marriage is fleeting — three months of adoration followed by cogitation and thirty years of toleration — but agrees to receive the girl. Sadie Pelham arrives heavily perfumed and dressed as if for a fancy ball, visibly awed by the refined, subdued house, which is not the display of gold and glitter she expected. Mrs. Vivian greets her with exaggerated warmth, dismisses Alfred to "run and play," and settles Sadie into a chair, ordering champagne over a startled manservant's disbelief. Through a stream of flattering, needling small talk about poetry, fashion, and the virtues of short engagements, Mrs. Vivian draws Sadie out. Sadie, growing comfortable and increasingly convinced she has the upper hand, admits she calls Alfred "Fredikins" and lets slip her matter-of-fact, mercenary attitude toward the match, all while Mrs. Vivian appears to agree enthusiastically with everything she says. Mrs. Vivian then begins praising Alfred's supposed manliness in vowing to "carve out a future" for them both by his own labor, and casually mentions that upon her own death he stands to inherit only six hundred a year, an amount she insists he will not even need since he will surely make his fortune independently. She adds, with elaborate courtesy, that Sadie's own stage ability and profession will remain there for Alfred to "fall back on," comparing her flatteringly to a famous French actress. Sadie, realizing she is being told there is no immediate wealth forthcoming and that she is expected to keep working, grows furious, accusing Mrs. Vivian of false pretenses after Alfred had implied his mother was rich and consenting. She confronts Mrs. Vivian directly, demanding that the family "divvy up," but Mrs. Vivian sweetly explains that Alfred's late father wished him to make his own way, and that with a girl like Sadie at his side he is sure to succeed. Sadie declares that unless a man can support her in style, he is not for her. Alfred enters just as the conversation reaches its breaking point. Sadie, her doll-like sweetness gone, tells him she is finished with him, calls him a "little shrimp," and storms out of the house. Alfred turns on his mother in anger, accusing her of having taken a very high hand with the girl. Mrs. Vivian, unrepentant, replies simply that she has had to take things from where she stands. She then returns to her piano and resumes playing the "Meditation," feeling that she has definitively and decisively settled the matter of her son and his girl.
By Edgar Saltus · First published 1921 · Genre: Satire, Domestic Drama, Literary Fiction · 3,907 words
First lines
One o'clock. Then two. Then three. In the library at the head of the stairs, through the limping hours, Mrs. Vivian sat. But now the front door opened and closed. Presently there was the sound of ascending steps.
Mrs. Vivian stood up. "Alfred!"
What this Textopian page supports
A Boy and his Girl is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edgar Saltus, dated 1921 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edgar Saltus
- Date: 1921 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Satire, Domestic Drama, Literary Fiction, Social Comedy, Psychological Fiction
- Length: 3,907 words
- Structure: 1 section, 114 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Easy (6th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for A Boy and his Girl by Edgar Saltus
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
- Readability and classroom-planning context
- Passage-specific claims should cite the exact /read/ URL for the relevant chapter or paragraph
Genres
- Satire — The narrative is saturated with satirical critique of wealthy society, romantic idealism, and social pretense, particularly through Mrs. Vivian's witty manipulation of her son's naive romantic aspirations and her systematic dismantling of Sadie's mercenary ambitions.
- Domestic Drama — The central conflict revolves around the relationship between mother and son, exploring themes of parental control, filial independence, family loyalty, and the clash between maternal authority and romantic desire.
- Literary Fiction — The work exhibits sophisticated prose style, psychological depth, nuanced characterization, and complex interior monologue, employing literary conventions of character development and thematic exploration characteristic of serious fiction.
- Social Comedy — Dark comedic elements permeate the dialogue and situations, particularly the exchanges between Mrs. Vivian and Sadie, employing ironic wit and humorous exposure of pretension, social climbing, and miscalculation.
Tags
greed · materialism · satire · social climbing · wealthy widow · chorus girl · New York · engagement · broken engagement · class difference · mother-son relationship · maternal manipulation