Mrs. Cheveley has consistently feigned perfect composure. But when the bracelet clasps around her wrist, her composure disintegrates: she cannot stop herself from showing that the situation is a serious matter for her. Dandies like Lord Goring make it a point never to be serious about “serious” adult matters like money and reputation, but Mrs. Cheveley is ultimately concerned precisely with these dull things, like the red-faced banker in
The Little Prince. In a way, dandyism is a variation on Peter Pan Syndrome—the resolve to never grow up.