Middlemarch

Bulstrode Regrets Making Lydgate His Enemy

Bulstrode’s thoughts turn anxiously to Lydgate, and he comes to regret having refused the doctor’s request the day before. He wishes he had made even an unreasonable monetary sacrifice, realizing that a benefit conferred would serve as a defense in Lydgate’s mind should the man’s suspicions ever be confirmed by Raffles’s ravings.

Lydgate Accepts Bulstrode’s Thousand-Pound Loan

Lydgate arrives looking haggard, finds Raffles worse but still salvageable, and gives Bulstrode careful instructions about moderate opium doses and a firm ban on alcohol. When Bulstrode learns that the bailiff has been put into Lydgate’s house, he offers a thousand-pound loan, which Lydgate accepts with a great leap of joy—though on his ride home a dark augury troubles him at finding himself so eager for Bulstrode’s money.

Bulstrode Debates Summoning Lydgate Back

Bulstrode, having secured Lydgate’s good will, is nonetheless tormented by Raffles’s persistent life and finds himself hoping for a more pessimistic medical verdict. He debates sending for Lydgate that evening, then shrinks from the prospect of hearing that the man is merely progressing as expected and will likely recover.

Bulstrode Realizes He Forgot Opium Cease Order

After an hour and a half of this conflict in the wainscoted parlor, Bulstrode suddenly remembers that he never told Mrs. Abel the point at which the opium doses must cease. He stands motionless in the passage, candle in hand, listening to Raffles moan and turning the implications over in his weary mind before retreating to his own room.

Bulstrode Reluctantly Gives Mrs. Abel Brandy Access

Before Bulstrode has finished undressing, Mrs. Abel comes to the door describing how Raffles is sinking and asking for brandy or rum to keep him alive. After a struggle within him, Bulstrode silently thrusts the key to the wine-cooler through the narrow opening, telling her she will find plenty of brandy there.

CHAPITRE LXX.

This chapter centers on the immediate aftermath of John Raffles’ death at Nicholas Bulstrode’s home. It follows Bulstrode’s private reflections in the wake of the death, his journey back to Middlemarch with Tertius Lydgate, and a concerned visit from Mr. Farebrother that reveals Lydgate has resolved his immediate debt crisis via a loan from Bulstrode, while also outlining his revised career plans and quiet unease about his dependence on Bulstrode.

Bulstrode’s Morning Prayer and Self-Reflection

Bulstrode rises at approximately 6 AM for private prayer, unable to fully unpack the confused, unresolved motivations driving his actions over the prior 24 hours. He steps into the passage to listen to Raffles’ hard, stertorous breathing, then walks in the garden to observe the early spring rime on grass and fresh leaves before re-entering the house.

Raffles’ Deteriorating Health

Upon returning inside, Bulstrode is startled to find Mrs. Abel, who informs him Raffles slipped into a deep, irreversible sleep between 3 and 4 AM and died. Bulstrode confirms Raffles is in the sleep of death, not a restful slumber that would lead to revival.

Bulstrode’s Secret Resolve and Planning

As he sits with Raffles’ body, Bulstrode feels a rare sense of calm, soothed by the secrecy surrounding the death, which he views as a relief from his months of unrest. He reviews his plans to temporarily leave Middlemarch, decides to move forward with cost-cutting measures during his brief absence, and hopes Dorothea Casaubon will cover a large portion of the hospital’s expenses. He also rationalizes that no one can prove Raffles’ death was hastened, and feels glad the man he once exploited is gone.

Lydgate Arrives as Raffles Dies

Lydgate arrives at 10:30 AM, moments before Raffles takes his final breath. Bulstrode notes Lydgate’s quiet, unshocked expression that signals he realized he misjudged the likely outcome of the case. Lydgate stays by the bed in silent observation until he confirms Raffles has died, then asks Bulstrode when Raffles’ condition began to worsen; Bulstrode claims he was overworked and left Raffles in Mrs. Abel’s care the prior night, and that Raffles’ fatal decline began after 3 AM.