After devoting several chapters to diplomatic tensions in London, Adams alters the tone to consider British personalities and the social scene. He sees a propensity for eccentricity in the English character and asks whether this is strength or a weakness. It seems to Adams that eccentrics support the Confederacy. Socially, Henry finds no personal improvement. He challenges the veracity of an acquaintance’s observation that the London dinner and the English country-house are “the perfection of human society.” Henry sees little of merit in London other than the opera, but he does appreciate the people of Yorkshire.
