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Babbitt is unable to make up his mind. At times he thinks fondly of his wife; at other times he feels trapped by her. He is cool to Tanis; when she writes to ask if she has somehow offended him, he irritably asks himself, \"Why can\'t she let me alone?\" Then he decides he must see her.
The following day is tense. At the Union Club, Vergil Gunch discusses the Good Citizens\' League but doesn\'t include Babbitt in the conversation. At the office, Babbitt must listen to the family troubles of a salesman and the health problems of a client, and at home Mrs. Babbitt complains about her maid and Tinka about her teacher. It\'s with some desperation that Babbitt makes his escape.
When he arrives at Tanis\'s apartment, he finds her as beautiful as ever. She gives him a drink; she listens to his troubles. But he grows angry when she tells of hers, which he selfishly considers dull and unimportant. After a while, the conversation falters. Babbitt sees that Tanis\'s elegance can\'t hide the fact that she\'s on the verge of unattractive middle age. It\'s time, he decides, to break off the affair.
As Babbitt so often does, he tries to blame his missteps on someone else. Tanis should not have forced him to visit her when he has so many other worries. He needs to be free, he proclaims. And she agrees. \"Thank God that\'s over,\" Babbitt cries.
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