The Other Two Summary

“The Other Two” follows the conflict that arises between wealthy newlyweds Mr. Waythorn and Mrs. Alice Waythorn as unanticipated events force Alice’s two ex-husbands into the couple’s public and private lives. Despite boasting a somewhat mysterious past and having two divorces under her belt, Alice is accepted by—and even quite popular among—the Waythorns’ New York social circle, due in large part to her exceptional grasp of etiquette. Mr. Waythorn reveals that he is also smitten with Alice’s social grace, especially next to his “somewhat unstable sensibilities.” The story begins as Mr. and Mrs. Waythorn arrive home to New York from their honeymoon, the trip cut unexpectedly short by the sudden illness of Lily Haskett, Alice’s daughter from her first marriage.

Mr. Waythorn waits at the dinner table for Alice, who had been upstairs checking on Lily. Alice finally arrives, accompanied by a look of grave concern. She informs Waythorn that she has received a letter from Mr. Haskett, her first husband, stating that he wishes to visit Lily in the Waythorn home while Lily is sick with typhoid. Mr. Waythorn is upset, but he reluctantly agrees that Haskett must see his daughter, if for no other reason than that the law permits him to do so. “It’s beastly,” Mr. Waythorn says to Alice, “but try to forget about it.” Alice follows her husband’s order and shifts the conversation to a cheerier subject, exclaiming, “How pretty everything is!”

Waythorn leaves for work earlier than usual the next day in order to avoid running into Mr. Haskett. He plans to remain out of the house for the evening. Waythorn runs into Mr. Gus Varick, Alice’s second husband, on the “elevated” train on his way to the office. Varick informs Mr. Waythorn that Mr. Sellers, the senior partner at Waythorn’s firm, has fallen ill. The illness has occurred at an especially inopportune time, explains Varick, as Sellers and just taken him on as a client. The train arrives at Varick’s stop, and the men part ways.

At work, Sellers’s illness is confirmed. Because of the illness, Mr. Sellers’s work will go to Mr. Waythorn. Later that day, Waythorn stops at a restaurant close to his office for lunch. He once again spots Mr. Varick, “seated a few feet off.” Fortunately, they are not as uncomfortably close as they were on the train, and Mr. Waythorn pretends he hasn’t seen Varick in order to avoid making further polite, awkward small-talk. Waythorn watches Varick eat decadently and wonders whether their morning encounter made any impression on the seemingly confident, unflappable Varick.

Having successfully avoided Mr. Haskett, Waythorn returns home for dinner. He and Alice exchange mundane details about one another’s day, and Mr. Waythorn smugly observes how childishly happy Alice is to tell him the meaningless, banal details of her day. Waythorn does not tell Alice about his conversation with Varick. After dinner, the couple retires to the library for coffee and liqueurs. Waythorn inquires whether Haskett visited, and Alice says that he did, though she did not see him herself. While Alice serves coffee, Mr. Waythorn reflects on how good it feels to possess Alice.

Ten days later, Sellers is still sick, and Waythorn is forced to take on his clients—including Varick. Waythorn is afraid of what his social circle will think of his business relationship with Varick.

Lily continues to improve, and Waythorn begins to tolerate Haskett’s visits. On Haskett’s visiting day the following week, Lily’s fever breaks, and she is considered “out of danger.” Feeling that somehow he, too, is “out of danger,” Waythorn lets his guard down and arrives home at a normal hour. He heads to the library and runs into Haskett, whom he describes as “a small, effaced-looking man.” Waythorn is completely shocked at the reality of Haskett: he had expected Alice’s first husband to be a despicable brute, but the man before him is polite, unassuming, and decidedly common.

Waythorn feels violated by this unassuming stranger’s presence in his house. More importantly, he feels shock and disgust at how little he knows about Mr. Haskett and the life Alice lived with him when they were married. Waythorn realizes that despite all her gracefulness and tact, his wife has deceived him, and he observes that her composure is nothing more than “a studied negation of that period of her life” when she was married to Haskett. Waythorn pities Haskett since he, too, was deceived by Alice.

A week later, on Mr. Haskett’s final visit to the Waythorn house, he informs Mr. Waythorn that he is unhappy with Lily’s French governess and would like to see her dismissed. Waythorn sees how deeply Haskett cares for Lily and again feels ashamed for judging him, and foolish for sanctifying Alice. Alice is upset that Mr. Haskett is interfering in Lily’s life, and bursts into tears. Waythorn coldly reminds Alice that Haskett is legally entitled to have a say in Lily’s affairs. Per Haskett’s request, the governess is let go.

The winter draws on, and Varick and Waythorn’s business relationship crosses expands into the social sphere. The social circle is thrilled that the Waythorns have chosen to be selfless and spare hostesses the uncomfortable task of having to choose between the Waythorns and Mr. Varick. Waythorn has only socially accepted Varick and Haskett, however, and remains plagued by anxiety and jealousy. He’d thought Alice could “shed her past like a man,” when he married her, but has since changed his mind, realizing that Alice’s past lives on in her mannerisms and tastes.

One afternoon, Haskett returns to the Waythorn house to see Lily. Waythorn finds Haskett in the library and offers him a cigar. Shortly after, Varick appears in the doorway, followed by the footman, carrying a tea-table. The three men sit awkwardly together. Varick attempts to talk business with Mr. Waythorn when Alice enters the room to have tea with her husband. She sees the two unexpected guests, reacting pleasurably to Varick. She is almost unnoticeably perturbed at Haskett’s presence. Her famous propriety takes over, and she assumes the role of accommodating, cheerful hostess. She offers the men cups of tea, and the story ends with the Waythorns and their two guests sitting together in the library. Waythorn accepts a third cup of tea “with a laugh.”