Middlemarch

Political Bribery

The discussion turns to electoral corruption. Mrs. Cadwallader recalls that the last unsuccessful Middlemarch candidate spent ten thousand pounds and failed because he did not bribe enough. The Rector jokes that bribery at Middlemarch makes East Retford look tame. Brooke attempts to distinguish himself by claiming only the Tories bribe with treating, hot codlings, and bringing voters drunk to the poll, but his own methods face similar scrutiny.

Dorothea Brooke

Sir James mentions that if Dorothea had remained close to her uncle Brooke, she might have gained influence over him regarding the estate, as she had wonderfully good notions about such matters. However, Casaubon now occupies her attention entirely. Celia complains they can hardly get Dorothea to dine with them since Casaubon’s fit, and the family feels shut out from her.

Casaubon’s Illness

The party acknowledges Casaubon’s grave health, with the Rector noting he looked “shattered” at the Archdeacon’s. Sir James refers to Casaubon’s attack with “pitying disgust,” while Mrs. Cadwallader shrugs, indicating no new developments worth discussing. Casaubon’s illness has effectively removed Dorothea from family involvement and created an awkward situation regarding Ladislaw.

Mrs. Cadwallader’s Schemes

Mrs. Cadwallader orchestrates a two-pronged strategy: her husband will press Brooke with the Trumpet newspaper attacks while she applies metaphorical “leeches” by confronting him with election expenses. She confesses that if she knew the items of election expenses, she could frighten Brooke away from the costly endeavor. She warned long ago that Brooke would “make a splash in the mud,” and now he has done so.

The Rector’s Commentary

Mr. Cadwallader the Rector offers measured commentary on Brooke’s situation. He suggests Brooke and Ladislaw will likely tire of each other after a month or two, and everything will settle down. He believes Brooke should frighten himself into expense rather than be frightened out of it, recommending he engage Garth and make a new valuation to silence the Trumpet. He considers the truth the hardest missile one can be pelted with.

The Cadwallader Gossip

Mrs. Cadwallader spreads social commentary about Ladislaw as a “dangerous young sprig” with foreign blood - a sort of Byronic hero and “amorous conspirator.” She blames Casaubon for not using his influence to make Ladislaw an attaché or send him to India, noting that “is how families get rid of troublesome sprigs.” She suggests Ladislaw’s newspaper work is beneath someone with decent connections.

Brooke’s Defense of His Record

Brooke arrives and attempts to defend himself against all criticism. He minimizes the Trumpet’s attacks as the work of an “illiterate fellow” who doesn’t understand satire. He protests that he never made a speech about rotten boroughs and that satire should be true only up to a certain point. Despite his cheerful deflection, Brooke is nettled by the conversation and departs hastily, maintaining that he lets old tenants stay and is uncommonly easy, with his own ideas to follow.

CHAPITRE XXXIX.

CHAPTER XXXIX. of Middlemarch opens with an epigraph from Dr. Donne praising secret, virtuous love. The chapter unfolds at the Grange and its surroundings, where Sir James Chettam contrives to bring Dorothea to visit her uncle, setting off a chain of encounters between Dorothea, Will Ladislaw, and Mr. Brooke over estate management, Mr. Casaubon’s prohibition of Will, their private exchange about faith, and the chapter closes with a carriage ride to the dilapidated Dagley farmhouse, where Mr. Brooke confronts his drunken tenant.

Sir James Chettam’s Stratagem

Sir James Chettam, though not naturally inventive, forms a small plan to “act on Brooke.” Leveraging his faith in Dorothea’s capacity for influence, he proposes to use Celia’s indisposition as a pretext for fetching Dorothea to the Hall alone, depositing her at the Grange along the way and informing her of the situation concerning the estate’s poor management.

Dorothea’s Arrival at the Grange

The stratagem succeeds: one afternoon near four o’clock, as Mr. Brooke and Will Ladislaw sit together in the library sorting documents about hanging sheep-stealers, the door opens and Mrs. Casaubon is announced. Mr. Brooke greets her with a kiss, teasing that she has left Casaubon with his books and warning her against becoming “too learned for a woman.”