2011 FRQ #2

         Rosamond coloured deeply. “Have you not asked 

     Papa for money?” she said as soon as she could speak. 

         “No.” 

         “Then I must ask him!” she said, releasing her 

5   hands from Lydgate’s and rising to stand at two 

     yards’ distance from him. 

         “No, Rosy,” said Lydgate decisively. “It is too late 

     to do that. The inventory will be begun tomorrow. 

     Remember it is a mere security; it will make no 

10 difference; it is a temporary affair. I insist upon it 

     that your father shall not know unless I choose to tell 

     him,” added Lydgate with a more peremptory 

     emphasis. 

         This certainly was unkind, but Rosamond had 

15 thrown him back on evil expectation as to what she 

     would do in the way of quiet, steady disobedience. 

     The unkindness seemed unpardonable to her; she was 

     not given to weeping and disliked it, but now her chin 

     and lips began to tremble and the tears welled up. 

20 Perhaps it was not possible for Lydgate, under the 

     double stress of outward material difficulty and of his 

     own proud resistance to humiliating consequences, to 

     imagine fully what this sudden trial was to a young 

     creature who had known nothing but indulgence and 

25 whose dreams had all been of new indulgence, more 

     exactly to her taste. But he did wish to spare her as 

     much as he could, and her tears cut him to the heart. 

     He could not speak again immediately, but Rosamond 

     did not go on sobbing; she tried to conquer her 

30 agitation and wiped away her tears, continuing to 

     look before her at the mantelpiece. 

         “Try not to grieve, darling,” said Lydgate, turning 

     his eyes up towards her. That she had chosen to move 

     away from him in this moment of her trouble made 

35 everything harder to say, but he must absolutely go 

     on. “We must brace ourselves to do what is necessary. 

     It is I who have been in fault; I ought to have seen that 

     I could not afford to live in this way. But many things 

     have told against me in my practice, and it really just 

     40 now has ebbed to a low point. I may recover it, but in 

     the meantime we must pull up—we must change our 

     way of living. We shall weather it. When I have given 

     this security I shall have time to look about me; and 

     you are so clever that if you turn your mind to 

45 managing you will school me into carefulness. I have 

     been a thoughtless rascal about squaring prices—but 

     come, dear, sit down and forgive me.” 

         Lydgate was bowing his neck under the yoke like a 

     creature who had talons but who had reason too, 

50 which often reduces us to meekness. When he had 

     spoken the last words in an imploring tone, Rosamond 

     returned to the chair by his side. His self-blame gave 

     her some hope that he would attend to her opinion, 

     and she said, “Why can you not put off having the 

55 inventory made? You can send the men away 

     tomorrow when they come.” 

         “I shall not send them away,” said Lydgate, the 

`   peremptoriness rising again. Was it of any use to 

     explain? 

60     “If we left Middlemarch, there would of course be 

     a sale, and that would do as well.” 

         “But we are not going to leave Middlemarch.” 

         “I am sure, Tertius, it would be much better to do 

     so. Why can we not go to London? Or near Durham, 

65 where your family is known?” 

         “We can go nowhere without money, Rosamond.” 

         “Your friends would not wish you to be without 

     money. And surely these odious tradesmen might be 

     made to understand that and to wait if you would 

70 make proper representations to them.” 

         “This is idle, Rosamond,” said Lydgate angrily. 

         “You must learn to take my judgement on questions 

     you don’t understand. I have made necessary 

     arrangements, and they must be carried out. As to 

75 friends, I have no expectations whatever from them 

     and shall not ask them for anything.” 

     Rosamond sat perfectly still. The thought in her 

     mind was that if she had known how Lydgate would 

     behave, she would never have married him. 

80     “We have no time to waste now on unnecessary 

     words, dear,” said Lydgate, trying to be gentle again.

         “There are some details that I want to consider with

     you. Dover says he will take a good deal of the plate 

     back again, and any of the jewellery we like. He 

85 really behaves very well.” 

         “Are we to go without spoons and forks then?” said 

     Rosamond, whose very lips seemed to get thinner 

     with the thinness of her utterance. She was 

     determined to make no further resistance or 

90 suggestions.