Middlemarch

Sir James’s Indignation

Sir James’s anger erupts in indignant, halting speech. He declares that Ladislaw, marked out by Casaubon’s will, ought to have left the country out of honor; he calls the match “perfectly scandalous” and a degradation for Dorothea, citing Ladislaw’s poverty, bad origin, and supposed lack of principle. He laments that he was not listened to after Casaubon’s funeral. Celia mildly suggests that calling Ladislaw out and shooting him would have been “very disagreeable,” and Mr. Cadwallader urges Sir James to view the affair more quietly. Sir James insists, however, that he considers Dorothea’s action wrong, and the chapter notes that beneath his prejudice lies a vein of feeling he is too honorable to acknowledge: his dismay at the loss of the prospect of uniting the Tipton and Freshitt estates.

The Rector’s Counsel

The Rector, wishing to spare needless discomfort, offers measured counsel. He admits that a woman who gives up a fortune for a man seems foolish in the eyes of other men, but he argues the marriage should not be condemned as a wrong action in the strict sense. Sir James, stung, retorts that he does call it wrong. Mrs. Cadwallader meanwhile reminds them all that she had foreseen the possibility, blaming the family for doing nothing to provide an alternative suitor and Casaubon himself for making the forbidden match tempting. The Cadwalladers then bicker affectionately, with the Rector professing to take Ladislaw’s part until he hears more harm of him, and Mrs. Cadwallader protesting that his defense is mere sophistry—though she concedes that Ladislaw is “a pretty sprig.”

Mr. Brooke’s Resolution

Mr. Brooke, eager to show his resolve and to propitiate Sir James, declares that he cannot turn his back on Dorothea: he has told her he will not refuse to give her away, and he offers to cut off the entail, acknowledging the cost and trouble. His appeal, nodding significantly at Sir James, touches the very motive the baronet is ashamed of—the Tipton-Freshitt estate union—and produces in Sir James a sudden embarrassment, a stoppage in the throat, and even a blush. The moment clogs his tongue more effectively than the Rector’s earlier hints. Mr. Brooke then invites them all to dine with him the next day, conditional on no awkward encounters, and Celia, taking her husband’s hand, secures his assent.

Celia’s Visit to Lowick

Alone with Celia, Sir James resists the idea of seeing Dorothea but agrees, though puzzled, to let her have the carriage to go to Lowick. Celia reflects on the journey’s purpose: she believes she can act on her sister by a word “judiciously placed,” opening a little window of daylight amid the “strange colored lamps” by which Dodo sees the world, and as a matron with a child she feels newly equipped to advise her childless sister. At Lowick, Dorothea greets her with unfeigned delight, having feared that even Celia might be kept away. The two sisters sit down knee to knee, and Celia gently but firmly tells Dorothea that she has disappointed them all, that she can never live in such a way, and that Sir James would have done anything for her—opening the chapter’s intimate final movement between the sisters.

CHAPTER LXXXIV.

Chapter LXXXIV depicts a conversation between Dorothea and Celia regarding Dorothea’s intention to marry Mr. Ladislaw. Celia raises numerous objections—family disapproval, practical concerns, and the unexpectedness of the match—while Dorothea gently but firmly maintains her decision. The chapter closes with Celia’s quiet acceptance and curiosity about how the attachment came about, which Dorothea keeps private.

Celia’s Concerns

Celia voices her concerns about Dorothea’s unconventional desires, noting that Dorothea has never been able to carry out plans she liked and has always pursued things that “wouldn’t do.” Celia suggests other, more suitable plans would have presented themselves.

Dorothea’s Resolution

Dorothea acknowledges that she has never been able to do anything she liked and has never carried out any plan, responding gently to Celia’s anxieties about her choices.