- Strether and Chad decide that when they head back to the hotel, Chad will get in a cab with Sarah and Mamie, and Strether will get in a cab with Jim Pocock (Sarah's husband).
- Once they're in the cabs, Jim starts thanking Strether for giving him the excuse to come to Paris with Sarah. Jim is all wide-eyed and drinking in all of the interesting sights around him. He's not ignorant of the fact that Woollett is a boring little town, and he's glad to be out of it for a few days. At least someone gets it.
- Strether has another moment where he hopes both Sarah and Jim will tug at his sleeve at some point and whisper to him, "Wow, you're totally right. Chad is way cooler now."
- But throughout their cab ride, Jim Pocock never says a word about Chad. Strether begins to get concerned. He can't believe that anyone could be so ignorant to not notice what a great gentleman Chad has become. But it seems like the effect has been totally lost on the likes of Jim Pocock.
- Strether starts to resent the dude for being so blind to true classiness. Worse yet, Jim's silence begins to make Strether second-guess his own opinion of Chad.
- And just as he's thinking about Jim, Strether realizes what his main problem is with Woollett and the people from there: "the society over there […] was essentially a society of women, and that poor Jim wasn't a part of it" (8.2.12).
- And here, Strether hits on what's been making him so annoyed with Mrs. Newsome. It's the fact that she totally has authority in their relationship, and that this makes Strether feel like less of a man. Bummer.
- Jim suddenly exclaims out loud that if he were Chad, there's no way he would ever come back to Woollett. Jim wishes he could come to Paris and live there immediately. Touché.
- Strether admits that it's also important for Chad to go home and run the family business, though this is just lip service that he hopes Jim will repeat back to Sarah so he doesn't get in too much trouble.
- But then, Strether admits to Jim that he has enjoyed Paris a little too much. And at this point, Jim realizes that Strether has intentionally been prolonging his vacation. He loves it, though, because he wishes he had the same opportunity to get away from his wife and mother-in-law.
- Strether mentions that Sarah seems to be in good humor. Jim says that Strether knows better than to think he can read Sarah's moods. Sarah is a master manipulator, and there's no way you can ever know what she's actually thinking. This family gets better all the time.
- Jim concludes a little speech about the Newsome women by saying that they always find ways to get what they want without ever raising their voices. Whoa.
- Jim finishes their conversation by telling Strether not to go home, because Mrs. Newsome will totally control him. Sounds like someone could use some marriage counseling!