Sardonic: characterized by bitter or scornful derision; mocking; cynical; sneering.

Nella Larsen is creating a noun form of the above adjective. Sardonic to Irene's "sardony." I think this conveys Irene's ignorance in a simple form. We see her being ignorant in conversation with her husband later on in this chapter, and seemingly ignorant about the emotional implications of passing when talking to Clare. This slight action on her part is used to deepen the character of Irene: a woman who rigorously follows social expectations and race definitions blindly and ignorantly and is thrown when a character comes into her life who refutes all that she, Irene, adheres to.

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