Twenty-six years have gone by. May is dead. Her and Archer’s three children are grown. Their oldest boy, Dallas, is now an architect and calls his father long-distance to invite him to go to Europe for a short trip.

The invitation to travel stirs memories. Archer thinks back over the past decades. He had gone into politics for a short while. The governor of New York had convinced him that the political system needed men such as he. Archer had taken the man’s advice and served in the state assembly but was not re-elected. This convinced him that maybe the governor had been wrong. Archer then returned to writing articles for magazines in attempts to affect politics. Otherwise he had continued his contemplative life. Because he was inclined to think deeply, people often sought out his opinions.

Although his life had been full, Archer knows he missed “the flower of life.” Now when he thinks of Ellen Olenska, he does so abstractly, as someone might think of a story he had read. The thought of her and what they might have had together had, over the years, kept him from desiring other women. His marriage to May could have been described as dull, but if nothing else, it had been dignified.

As Archer listens to Dallas speak, he is amazed at how clear his son’s voice sounds. The telephone is one of the new changes that Archer truly appreciates. Dallas also reminds him of a statement one of Archer’s friends had made even before Dallas was born. The man had predicted that one day society would deteriorate to the point that one of their children might even marry one of Beaufort’s “bastards.” This makes Archer smile. His son, Dallas, is engaged to one Beaufort’s daughters, the product of the man’s second marriage. For Archer, this marriage is a sign of how far the world has traveled in the past thirty years. People are too busy to concern themselves with the social issues of the past. They are more fascinated with movements and reforms.

Dallas convinces his father to travel to Paris with him. As Archer stands looking out of his hotel window at Paris in spring, he reflects on how many times he had imagined what it would be like when he finally made it to this French city. Now he is an old man and feels old-fashioned in the current mode of time. In the midst of his recollections, Dallas interrupts his thoughts with the announcement that he has arranged an appointment to see Madame Olenska. He explains that his fiancé, Fanny Beaufort, had met Madame Olenska when she had visited Paris and now insists that Dallas call on her. Archer is shocked that his son has told Ellen that he is in Paris.

Dallas asks what Madame Olenska was like, but Archer is reluctant to share his memories of her. Then Dallas asks his father if it is true that Madame Olenska had once been the love of his life. Archer cannot find the words to answer. He is not used to being so open with the more intimate details of his life. Dallas informs his father that his mother (May) had once told him that he would always be able to depend on his father because when she had asked him to, he had once given up the thing he “most wanted.” Archer is very surprised by this statement. He can only answer by saying that May never asked. Dallas accepts this by stating that he knows his mother and father never said anything directly to one another.

Later, as Archer and Dallas approach the building where Madame Olenska lives, Archer hesitates; he wants to sit down on a nearby bench. He tells his son to go up to Madame Olenska’s apartment without him. When Dallas asks what he is supposed to tell Madame Olenska about his father’s refusal to see her, Archer tells his son to say that he is old-fashioned. He adds that Madame Olenska will understand.