Plot
George Bertram's uncle, a wealthy City merchant,
had sent him to
While in the Holy Land George met and fell in love
with Caroline Waddington, granddaughter of George Bertram, Sr. She persuaded him to study for the Bar, but refused to marry
him until he had acquired a suitable income. Their engagement dragged on for
three years, George refusing to ask his uncle for financial aid and Caroline
persisting in her original requirement. Finally, by mutual consent the
engagement was broken, and Caroline soon married Sir Henry Harcourt, the
brilliant and ambitious Solicitor-General. Although old Mr. Bertram tried to
prevent the marriage, Sir Henry persisted, in the belief that his wife would he her grandfather's heir. He took a large house and
entertained lavishly, but when he tried to compel Caroline to wheedle money
from her grandfather to support his extravagance, she refused and left him,
taking refuge at Hadley, her grandfather's gloomy country house where he lived
alone, ill and moody. When the government fell Sir Henry was without a post.
Harassed by debt, forsaken by his fair-weather friends and impotent to force
Caroline to return to him, he committed suicide. After some time Caroline and
George became reconciled and eventually married.
Sir Lionel Bertram, on his retirement to
Littlebath, made a futile attempt to marry Miss Sally Todd for her fortune, but
on her refusal was compelled to pare his expenses to his pension, plus such
sums as he could extract from his son. The secondary plot has to do with
George's friend Arthur Wilkinson. To support his widowed mother and sisters he
had become Vicar of Hurst Staple after unwisely agreeing to a stipulation of
his patron that the major part of his salary should go to his mother. She soon
came to regard the income as her own and was furious when Arthur wished to
marry and occupy the vicarage. After some time she was forced to yield and
Arthur married Adela Gauntlet.
GEROULD, WINIFRED GREGORY;
A GUIDE TO TROLLOPE.
© 1948 Princeton University Press,
1976 renewed PUP
Reprinted by permission of Princeton University Press.
Url: http://www.anthonytrollope.com/
Academic year 2008/2009
© a.r.e.a./Dr.Vicente Forés
López
©Davinia Moreno Arroyo
Universitat de Valčncia
Press
damoa2@alumni.uv.es