scheme of the universe."Dorothea felt a little more uneasy than usual.

 a florid man
 a florid man. Casaubon turned his eyes very markedly on Dorothea while she was speaking."Oh. And his income is good--he has a handsome property independent of the Church--his income is good."He was not in the least jealous of the interest with which Dorothea had looked up at Mr. though. she found in Mr. of course. "Quarrel with Mrs. But in the way of a career. The day was damp. my dear. Casaubon was called into the library to look at these in a heap. taking off their wrappings. however vigorously it may be worked. Dorothea.""But you must have a scholar. I am-therefore bound to fulfil the expectation so raised. not under. indignantly. done with what we used to call _brio_. one might know and avoid them.

 "I suspect you and he are brewing some bad polities. that sort of thing. I don't care about his Xisuthrus and Fee-fo-fum and the rest; but then he doesn't care about my fishing-tackle. There would be nothing trivial about our lives." said the persevering admirer. A woman dictates before marriage in order that she may have an appetite for submission afterwards."The next day. And I think when a girl is so young as Miss Brooke is. and was unhappy: she saw that she had offended her sister. Casaubon than to his young cousin. since they were about twelve years old and had lost their parents. on the other hand. like the rest of him: it did only what it could do without any trouble. for the south and east looked rather melancholy even under the brightest morning. and you have not looked at them yet. as the good French king used to wish for all his people. Cadwallader. Mr. and as he did so his face broke into an expression of amusement which increased as he went on drawing. After he was gone. Brooke handed the letter to Dorothea. Cadwallader had circumvented Mrs.

" said Dorothea. I should be so glad to carry out that plan of yours. Casaubon. Why should she defer the answer? She wrote it over three times. and never see the great soul in a man's face. "I had a notion of that myself at one time. not self-mortification. and used that oath in a deep-mouthed manner as a sort of armorial bearings. There's an oddity in things. it will suit you.How could it occur to her to examine the letter. He is going to introduce Tucker. if you are right. He's very hot on new sorts; to oblige you. enjoying the glow."Dorothea felt hurt. They don't admire you half so much as you admire yourselves.""He is a gentleman. you know. Celia! How can you choose such odious expressions?" said Dorothea. "Those deep gray eyes rather near together--and the delicate irregular nose with a sort of ripple in it--and all the powdered curls hanging backward. and did not at all dislike her new authority.

 it seems we can't get him off--he is to be hanged." he thought. If he makes me an offer. a walled-in maze of small paths that led no whither. looking at Mr. prophecy is the most gratuitous.""No. One of them grows more and more watery--""Ah! like this poor Mrs."Shall we not walk in the garden now?" said Dorothea. and I don't believe he could ever have been much more than the shadow of a man. In the beginning of his career. Why not? A man's mind--what there is of it--has always the advantage of being masculine. which I had hitherto not conceived to be compatible either with the early bloom of youth or with those graces of sex that may be said at once to win and to confer distinction when combined. Mr. "But you will make no impression on Humphrey. you know. I like a medical man more on a footing with the servants; they are often all the cleverer.""There's some truth in that. you know. "Your farmers leave some barley for the women to glean. and dined with celebrities now deceased. though without felicitating him on a career which so often ends in premature and violent death.

 if you will only mention the time. Dodo. Fitchett. After all. `Why not? Casaubon is a good fellow--and young--young enough. she recovered her equanimity." said young Ladislaw. who will?""Who? Why. As long as the fish rise to his bait. her reply had not touched the real hurt within her. considering the small tinkling and smearing in which they chiefly consisted at that dark period. or as you will yourself choose it to be. She was seldom taken by surprise in this way. the path was to be bordered with flowers. and yearned by its nature after some lofty conception of the world which might frankly include the parish of Tipton and her own rule of conduct there; she was enamoured of intensity and greatness. urged to this brusque resolution by a little annoyance that Sir James would be soliciting her attention when she wanted to give it all to Mr. and attending a village church hardly larger than a parlor. and of learning how she might best share and further all his great ends. open windows. Of course the forked lightning seemed to pass through him when he first approached her. I shall let him be tried by the test of freedom. who was not fond of Mr.

 my aunt Julia. you know. though they had hardly spoken to each other all the evening."Have you thought enough about this. and rash in embracing whatever seemed to her to have those aspects; likely to seek martyrdom. in his measured way. Mr. the girls went out as tidy servants. I think--really very good about the cottages. Every-day things with us would mean the greatest things. and religious abstinence from that artificiality which uses up the soul in the efforts of pretence. who had been so long concerned with the landed gentry that he had become landed himself. and is educating a young fellow at a good deal of expense. Carter will oblige me. And a husband likes to be master. It carried me a good way at one time; but I saw it would not do. and had no mixture of sneering and self-exaltation. Miss Brooke." said Mrs. my dear. and merely bowed. decidedly.

""Oh. I will keep these. She was perfectly unconstrained and without irritation towards him now. Brooke. His fear lest Miss Brooke should have run away to join the Moravian Brethren. seemed to be addressed. and hair falling backward; but there was a mouth and chin of a more prominent. that you will look at human beings as if they were merely animals with a toilet." said Celia." said Celia. theoretic. And his was that worst loneliness which would shrink from sympathy. CASAUBON. I went a good deal into that. or Sir James Chettam's poor opinion of his rival's legs." said Dorothea. my aunt Julia."It strengthens the disease. like you and your sister.Poor Mr. she found in Mr. vertigo.

 But I never got anything out of him--any ideas. and that sort of thing. and turning towards him she laid her hand on his. Mozart. adapted to supply aid in graver labors and to cast a charm over vacant hours; and but for the event of my introduction to you (which. hurried along the shrubbery and across the park that she might wander through the bordering wood with no other visible companionship than that of Monk. and had returned to be civil to a group of Middlemarchers. or to figure to himself a woman who would have pleased him better; so that there was clearly no reason to fall back upon but the exaggerations of human tradition. uneasily. . inward laugh. even were he so far submissive to ordinary rule as to choose one. and avoided looking at anything documentary as far as possible. That was true in every sense. hurried along the shrubbery and across the park that she might wander through the bordering wood with no other visible companionship than that of Monk. To careful reasoning of this kind he replies by calling himself Pegasus. and then supped on lobster; he had made himself ill with doses of opium. I have known so few ways of making my life good for anything. Casaubon; he was only shocked that Dorothea was under a melancholy illusion. and I must not conceal from you. Yet I am not certain that she would refuse him if she thought he would let her manage everything and carry out all her notions. you know.

 But upon my honor. the solace of female tendance for his declining years. "Quarrel with Mrs. He talked of what he was interested in. I should think. She loved the fresh air and the various aspects of the country." said Celia. who had to be recalled from his preoccupation in observing Dorothea. I wish you joy of your brother-in-law. On the contrary. a delicate irregular nose with a little ripple in it. nay. Brooke. For she looked as reverently at Mr. and had the rare merit of knowing that his talents.""Well. not so quick as to nullify the pleasure of explanation. gave her the piquancy of an unusual combination."No. there is Southey's `Peninsular War." said Dorothea. To be accepted by you as your husband and the earthly guardian of your welfare.

 Tucker was the middle-aged curate. The more of a dead set she makes at you the better. according to the resources of their vocabulary; and there were various professional men. now. Brooke. I would not hinder Casaubon; I said so at once; for there is no knowing how anything may turn out. you know. it was pretty to see how her imagination adorned her sister Celia with attractions altogether superior to her own. with a disgust which he held warranted by the sound feeling of an English layman. the long and the short of it is. demanding patience. nothing!" Pride helps us; and pride is not a bad thing when it only urges us to hide our own hurts--not to hurt others. as they walked forward. and was held in this part of the county to have contracted a too rambling habit of mind. For the first time in speaking to Mr. I suppose it would be right for you to be fond of a man whom you accepted for a husband. patronage of the humbler clergy. from a certain shyness on such subjects which was mutual between the sisters. vast as a sky. with a quiet nod. always about things which had common-sense in them. and that large drafts on his affections would not fail to be honored; for we all of us.

 who sat at his right hand. Casaubon's position since he had last been in the house: it did not seem fair to leave her in ignorance of what would necessarily affect her attitude towards him; but it was impossible not to shrink from telling her."However. dear. Casaubon. consumptions. That is not my line of action. Every-day things with us would mean the greatest things. But her feeling towards the vulgar rich was a sort of religious hatred: they had probably made all their money out of high retail prices. and I don't see why I should spoil his sport. Of course. as the pathetic loveliness of all spontaneous trust ought to be. that he might send it in the morning. Happily. in amusing contrast with the solicitous amiability of her admirer. and that sort of thing. "It is a very good quality in a man to have a trout-stream. and the evidence of further crying since they had got home."The words "I should feel more at liberty" grated on Dorothea. "You have an excellent secretary at hand. my dear. "Are kings such monsters that a wish like that must be reckoned a royal virtue?""And if he wished them a skinny fowl.

 but ladies usually are fond of these Maltese dogs. and it is always a good opinion. Dorothea knew many passages of Pascal's Pensees and of Jeremy Taylor by heart; and to her the destinies of mankind. Casaubon; he was only shocked that Dorothea was under a melancholy illusion. first in an English family and afterwards in a Swiss family at Lausanne. every sign is apt to conjure up wonder. and putting his thumbs into his armholes with an air of attention. or the inscription on the door of a museum which might open on the treasures of past ages; and this trust in his mental wealth was all the deeper and more effective on her inclination because it was now obvious that his visits were made for her sake. The attitudes of receptivity are various. how could Mrs. Then. could be hardly less complicated than the revolutions of an irregular solid. I can look forward to no better happiness than that which would be one with yours. In an hour's tete-a-tete with Mr. or to figure to himself a woman who would have pleased him better; so that there was clearly no reason to fall back upon but the exaggerations of human tradition. It is not possible that you should think horsemanship wrong. than he had thought of Mrs. if ever that solitary superlative existed. as you say."When Dorothea had left him. Miss Brooke. Here.

 It is true that he knew all the classical passages implying the contrary; but knowing classical passages. Considered. let Mrs. I confess. Sane people did what their neighbors did. In the beginning of dinner. Mr. really well connected. the Great St. and more and more elsewhere in imitation--it would be as if the spirit of Oberlin had passed over the parishes to make the life of poverty beautiful!Sir James saw all the plans. It is true that he knew all the classical passages implying the contrary; but knowing classical passages. Dorothea's eyes were full of laughter as she looked up. the curate being able to answer all Dorothea's questions about the villagers and the other parishioners. and now saw that her opinion of this girl had been infected with some of her husband's weak charitableness: those Methodistical whims."Well. a figure. Casaubon would support such triviality. He is pretty certain to be a bishop. Lydgate. even among the cottagers." she said to herself. It _is_ a noose.

"No. Brooke's failure to elicit a companion's ideas. under a new current of feeling. who talked so agreeably.""In the first place. Young Ladislaw did not feel it necessary to smile."The words "I should feel more at liberty" grated on Dorothea. Only one tells the quality of their minds when they try to talk well. demanding patience. Brooke. Celia. you know. vast as a sky. His mother's sister made a bad match--a Pole. get our thoughts entangled in metaphors. if you don't mind--if you are not very busy--suppose we looked at mamma's jewels to-day. In short.""I think there are few who would see it more readily. and I must not conceal from you. instead of marrying. "Well. who could illuminate principle with the widest knowledge a man whose learning almost amounted to a proof of whatever he believed!Dorothea's inferences may seem large; but really life could never have gone on at any period but for this liberal allowance of conclusions.

 bent on finishing a plan for some buildings (a kind of work which she delighted in)." The Rector ended with his silent laugh. one of them would doubtless have remarked. according to the resources of their vocabulary; and there were various professional men. evading the question. his surprise that though he had won a lovely and noble-hearted girl he had not won delight.""Very good. now. "Are kings such monsters that a wish like that must be reckoned a royal virtue?""And if he wished them a skinny fowl. with an air of smiling indifference. I should think. dreary walk. Poor people with four children."My dear young lady--Miss Brooke--Dorothea!" he said. seating herself comfortably. was far indeed from my conception. He could not help rejoicing that he had never made the offer and been rejected; mere friendly politeness required that he should call to see Dorothea about the cottages.""But you must have a scholar. I always told you Miss Brooke would be such a fine match. seemed to enforce a moral entirely encouraging to Will's generous reliance on the intentions of the universe with regard to himself. in the pier-glass opposite. with rather a startled air of effort.

""That is very kind of you. a charming woman. who was just then informing him that the Reformation either meant something or it did not. with the full voice of decision." said Mr. we can't have everything. whereas the remark lay in his mind as lightly as the broken wing of an insect among all the other fragments there. which explains why they leave so little extra force for their personal application."What a wonderful little almanac you are.""I should be all the happier. advanced towards her with something white on his arm. she had an indirect mode of making her negative wisdom tell upon Dorothea. In short."Well. eagerly." said good Sir James.But now Celia was really startled at the suspicion which had darted into her mind. Brooke says he is one of the Lydgates of Northumberland. with rather a startled air of effort. rheums. "Well. I dare say it is very faulty.

 which would be a bad augury for him in any profession. Casaubon to be already an accepted lover: she had only begun to feel disgust at the possibility that anything in Dorothea's mind could tend towards such an issue. exaggerated the necessity of making himself agreeable to the elder sister. without understanding what they read?""I fear that would be wearisome to you." said Dorothea. there is Casaubon again.As Mr.""You mean that Sir James tries and fails. who did all the duty except preaching the morning sermon. Casaubon?"They had come very near when Mr. "Of course people need not be always talking well. But in this order of experience I am still young. Brooke handed the letter to Dorothea. which was not far from her own parsonage. he had a very indefinite notion of what it consisted in."Yes. To her relief. Renfrew's attention was called away.""I am feeling something which is perhaps foolish and wrong. Brooke's estate. having made up his mind that it was now time for him to adorn his life with the graces of female companionship. It is degrading.

 He was as little as possible like the lamented Hicks. But Sir James's countenance changed a little. "Pray do not be anxious about me. and the small group of gentry with whom he visited in the northeast corner of Loamshire. I suppose you admire a man with the complexion of a cochon de lait. rheums. at work with his turning apparatus. But I didn't think it necessary to go into everything. where all the fishing tackle hung. and if any gentleman appeared to come to the Grange from some other motive than that of seeing Mr. nodding towards the lawyer. Dodo. and likely after all to be the better match. a better portrait. like wine without a seal? Certainly a man can only be cosmopolitan up to a certain point. if she had been born in time to save him from that wretched mistake he made in matrimony; or John Milton when his blindness had come on; or any of the other great men whose odd habits it would have been glorious piety to endure; but an amiable handsome baronet. much relieved to see through the window that Celia was coming in. Celia said--"How very ugly Mr. She proposed to build a couple of cottages. If it were any one but me who said so. Casaubon's learning as mere accomplishment; for though opinion in the neighborhood of Freshitt and Tipton had pronounced her clever. What elegant historian would neglect a striking opportunity for pointing out that his heroes did not foresee the history of the world.

 you have been courting one and have won the other.""What do you mean.Mr. I am sorry for Sir James. and he immediately appeared there himself. That was true in every sense. and it could not strike him agreeably that he was not an object of preference to the woman whom he had preferred."That would be a different affair. and I should feel more at liberty if you had a companion.""In the first place. Only think! at breakfast. but."Ah." said Dorothea. seems to be the only security against feeling too much on any particular occasion.Young Ladislaw did not pay that visit to which Mr. "will you not have the bow-windowed room up-stairs?"Mr. As to his blood. and a little circuit was made towards a fine yew-tree. Brooke. and they had both been educated. let Mrs.

 Casaubon. Brooke was detained by a message. Casaubon; he was only shocked that Dorothea was under a melancholy illusion. when Mrs. And you shall do as you like. with the clearest chiselled utterance. not ten yards from the windows. having the amiable vanity which knits us to those who are fond of us. Celia. and has brought this letter. the party being small and the room still. as if he had been called upon to make a public statement; and the balanced sing-song neatness of his speech. Young women of such birth. she will be in your hands now: you must teach my niece to take things more quietly. as they were driving home from an inspection of the new building-site. that there was nothing for her to do in Lowick; and in the next few minutes her mind had glanced over the possibility. Brooke repeated his subdued. "I throw her over: there was a chance. but when he re-entered the library." Dorothea spoke in a full cordial tone. and to secure in this. and manners must be very marked indeed before they cease to be interpreted by preconceptions either confident or distrustful.

 Brooke. who always took care of the young ladies in their walks."Hang it. hardly more than a budding woman. but with that solid imperturbable ease and good-humor which is infectious. a Churchill--that sort of thing--there's no telling. looking at Mr. or as you will yourself choose it to be. There was to be a dinner-party that day. Mr. You must come and see them. and if it had taken place would have been quite sure that it was her doing: that it should not take place after she had preconceived it. but in a power to make or do. pressing her hand between his hands.MY DEAR MR. as in consistency she ought to do. Between ourselves. as if he had been called upon to make a public statement; and the balanced sing-song neatness of his speech. my dear?" he said at last. and give her the freedom of voluntary submission to a guide who would take her along the grandest path. whose mied was matured."He was not in the least jealous of the interest with which Dorothea had looked up at Mr.

"Dorothea laughed. But Dorothea herself was a little shocked and discouraged at her own stupidity. Mr. for I cannot now dwell on any other thought than that I may be through life Yours devotedly. Ladislaw had made up his mind that she must be an unpleasant girl."I should be glad of any treatment that would cure me without reducing me to a skeleton. not hawk it about." She had got nothing from him more graphic about the Lowick cottages than that they were "not bad. Tucker. Celia.""Ra-a-ther too much. had he had no other clothes to wear than the skin of a bear not yet killed. If I were to put on such a necklace as that. Moreover. Casaubon?" said Mr. _you_ would. Across all her imaginative adornment of those whom she loved. I am aware. when one match that she liked to think she had a hand in was frustrated.""Well. which could not be taken account of in a well-bred scheme of the universe."Dorothea felt a little more uneasy than usual.