After Miss Eloise Bouie stops by to pick up Tante Lou for church, Grant sits in his room grading papers and reflecting on his conversation with Miss Emma and Rev. Ambrose the previous Friday. His daydreams are interrupted by a knock at his door, and he is pleasantly surprised to find that Vivian has come to visit. Grant and Vivian talk, have coffee and cake, then slip off to the cane fields to make love. When they return, they find that the "church ladies" — Tante Lou, Miss Emma, Miss Eloise, and Inez — have gathered in Tante Lou's kitchen. When Grant introduces Vivian, the women, taking their cues from Tante Lou, give her a cool reception. While Grant makes fresh coffee, Tante Lou interrogates Vivian about her social and academic background and her religious beliefs. Relieved to discover that Vivian is not the snob whom she had envisioned, Tante Lou declares her to be "a lady of quality," signaling Vivian's acceptance into the community of women.
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