She knew many things about flowers, precious stones, insects, birds, characters in fiction, and poetic prose and verse generally.
At the time the Cowperwoods first met the Sohlbergs the latter still had their studio in the New Arts Building, and all was seemingly as serene as a May morning, only Harold was not getting along very well.
He was drifting.

The meeting was at a tea given by the Haatstaedts, with whom the Cowperwoods were still friendly, and Harold played.
Aileen, who was there alone, seeing a chance to brighten her own life a little, invited the Sohlbergs, who seemed rather above the average, to her house to a musical evening.

They came.
On this occasion Cowperwood took one look at Sohlberg and placed him exactly.

"An erratic, emotional temperament," he thought.

"Probably not able to place himself for want of consistency and application." But he liked him after a fashion.