Summary

The short story “Baglady” by A.S. Byatt centers around a shopping trip. The wives of the Doolittle Wind Quietus directors have breakfast and plan their day, while their husbands are in a meeting. They will visit the Good Fortune Shopping Mall to buy presents, after which they will have lunch and then go to the airport. One of the wives, Daphne, feels out of place because she is older and less fashionable than the others. She remembers telling her husband she does not want to join him on this trip to the Far East. However, her husband insisted because the company policy encourages directors to travel with their wives. 

Daphne goes inside the Mall alone as none of the other wives wait for her. She quickly goes past all the shops and takes the e...