How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Twice during dinner he had met Chad's eyes in a longish look; but these communications had in truth only stirred up again old ambiguities—so little was it clear from them whether they were an appeal or an admonition. (6.3.1)
Longish, eh? We told you this got complicated. Strether has no clue what to make of Chad when he first meets him in Paris. He tries to communicate with Chad through silent looks, but it's impossible for Chad to know what these looks mean because Strether himself has no clue.
Quote #5
Her emphasis was wonderful, and though his eyes had been wandering he looked at her longer now. 'I see what you mean.' '
Of course you see what I mean.' (6.3.23-24)
Geez, what's with the varying long-ness of looks? Here, Strether tries his best to resist the charm of Madame de Vionnet. But when she mentions Chad's transformation and the fact that she is the person behind it, Strether has no choice but to meet her eyes and tell her he gets it. In many moments like this, Strether would happily play dumb and pretend not to understand what the person was saying. But here, he respects Chad so much that he has to acknowledge the truth of what Madame is trying to tell him.
Quote #6
'I understand what a relation with such a woman—what such a high fine friendship—may be. It can't be vulgar or coarse, anyway—and that's the point.'
'Yes, that's the point,' said little Bilham.
Strether asks Bilham on more than one occasion whether or not Chad's relationship with Madame de Vionnet is sexual. But Bilham always replies by throwing out vague adjectives like "virtuous" or "fine" or incomprehensible garble like "that's the point." Strether's Victorian prudishness lets him interpret this to mean "non-sexual," but it's this crucial mistake that leads him to misunderstand Chad's situation for the entire length of the book.