Dresses. Yes, that did tend to be the sort of thing young ladies worried about, though that it drove this one to such distraction she might have injured herself (and him) seemed to Aldous to be rather...extreme. He was, however, saved from commenting as much by her noticing that he was, in fact, still on the ground.

There really was nothing for it, Aldous realized, resigned and utterly mortified.

"Might—might you be so kind as to pass me my cane?" he asked sheepishly, glancing over to where it lay. Even with it, Aldous knew it would be a struggle to regain his footing, but he knew there was no way in hell he would manage without it.