Notes
Isabel arranges it so that all the people who care deeply about her leave Rome so she can carry on with her life in the way Osmond has orchestrated it--all surfaces, no depths. As long as they've been in Rome, she's played the part. She's found it too draining, though, and manages to get them all to leave. It's draining because, around people who know her and care about her, she can't give herself the comfort of their love and sympathy. She can't let them see how unhappy and desperate she is in her marriage because she sees no solution to the problem. At the end of the chapter, James sets up the scene for the fullest poignancy. Caspar Goodwood listens to Osmond lie about his and Isabel's happiness all evening. Then he tells Isabel he loves her and asks for some sign of her depth as a token to take with him in his life. She gives it to him, letting him know that there is something to pity in her situation.
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