In W. Somerset Maugham's "The Social Sense," the narrator reluctantly attends a dinner party at the Macdonalds', feeling burdened by the engagement. He arrives to find a large, formal gathering and is relieved to see familiar faces, particularly Mary Warton. Mary, once a renowned concert singer, now fifty-three and sharp-tongued, engages the guests with her wit and intelligence. Throughout the evening, the narrator observes the strained relationship between Mary and her husband, Thomas, a once-promising portrait painter.... won't reveal more here.