Middlemarch

CHAPTER LXV.

The chapter opens with an epigraph from Chaucer about men needing to be long-suffering toward women. It introduces the central conflict: in early 1832, Sir Godwin Lydgate has been slow to reply to correspondence, leaving Rosamond Lydgate awaiting a response to her appeal for financial assistance. Lydgate himself is unaware of her expectations but is facing mounting pressure from creditors, particularly Dover. He had been planning a trip to Quallingham to confront his uncle himself.

The Delayed Letter

After nearly three weeks without response, a letter from Sir Godwin arrives addressed to Lydgate. Rosamond recognizes her husband’s uncle’s handwriting and is filled with hope. She believes the very fact that Sir Godwin has written at all—despite his typical slowness—indicates a favorable answer. She waits in the dining room with the unopened letter before her, doing light stitching, until Lydgate returns home around noon.

Rosamond’s Expectations

Rosamond anticipates a positive response to her “winning appeal” and hopes there might be a personal note enclosed for her. She expects Lydgate to be surprised by the letter. Her excitement prevents her from engaging in any serious activity; she simply sits in a warm corner of the dining room, the letter’s outside visible on the table before her, dreaming of Sir Godwin’s compliance and the relief it would bring to their financial situation.

Sir Godwin’s Reply

When Lydgate opens the letter, his face turns from its usual pale brown to a dry whiteness. His nostrils and lips quiver as he tosses the letter down before Rosamond. The letter is blunt and dismissive: Sir Godwin refuses to supply any money, claiming his own family drains him completely. He criticizes Lydgate for sending his wife to write on his behalf, calling it “roundabout wheedling.” The uncle suggests Lydgate has mismanaged his money and should go somewhere else, noting he has nothing to do with medical professionals.

Lydgate’s Indignation

Lydgate erupts in anger, declaring it will be impossible to endure life with Rosamond if she continues acting secretly and in opposition to him. He checks his speech, turns away, then paces restlessly, sat down, and gets up again, gripping objects in his pockets. He restrains himself from saying something irremediably cruel. He demands to know if she now recognizes the harm her secret meddling causes and whether she has the sense to admit her incompetence in affairs that should be decided by him.

The Uncle’s Refusal

The full text of Sir Godwin’s letter reveals his complete refusal to help. He writes that with two younger sons and three daughters, he has no cash to spare. He upbraids Lydgate for getting through his money “pretty quickly” and making a mess of his situation. He recalls having done his best as guardian and allowing Lydgate to pursue medicine against others’ advice. The letter is cold and final, stating Lydgate must now stand entirely on his own legs.

Secret Meddling

Lydgate reveals he had nearly resolved to go to Quallingham himself, though it would have been painful. Yet now even that effort would be useless because Rosamond has been counteracting him secretly all along. He accuses her of deluding him with false assent and then leaving him at the mercy of her schemes. He demands that if she intends to resist his wishes, she should say so openly rather than feigning agreement while acting otherwise.

A Want of Openness

Lydgate pleads with Rosamond to recognize that secrecy and a lack of confidence are fatal to their marriage. He recounts how she has repeatedly appeared to agree with his wishes only to secretly disobey afterward, making it impossible for him to know what to trust. He asks if he is such an unreasonable brute that she cannot be open with him. His tone shifts from bitter to simply grave as he appeals for some admission of her mistake.

Checkmated

Lydgate finds himself completely checkmated by Rosamond’s silence. He sits in a chair, throwing his arm over its back, unable to find any place in her mind where his remonstrance might lodge. She has the double advantage of being insensitive to the justice in his reproaches while remaining sensitive to the genuine hardships of her married life. Though her deception exceeded what he knew, she has no consciousness that her actions were falsely motivated. Lydgate feels held in pincers by her inflexible nature.