if i can go back -- that's mary joseph lyons. she was the group of young single and married folks who found in her a social woman whose company was agreeable as when she was a maiden. with her, it was possible to have a good time without fuss and feathers. her guests were frequent, they danced, played, or sung, played games or sued for charity, and all alike found an opportunity to pass delightful hours with her in the home were curtesy and socialability reigned supreme. it was possible to move from one circle to another, no lines were drawn. however, the same persons could be met now in one circle now in the other. you can understand how somebody like james with his play acting career, with his brushes with the law, with his time spent in prison, with his hard labor, so forth would not have been welcome in these groups where curtesy, socialability, and fredlyness reigns supreme. the other thing i can point out about this passage, i think it gives you a glimpse into something i had a hard time talking about in my book which was p