Book Two: Old and Young Summary and Analysis

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Chapter 13

Fred tells his father that Featherstone requires a letter from Bulstrode verifying that Fred has not been borrowing money against his potential inheritance. Mr. Vincy goes to see Bulstrode at the bank but finds him occupied with Lydgate, talking about the new hospital which is being built in Middlemarch and which Bulstrode wants Lydgate to supervise. He asks for Lydgate’s support in the appointment of a clergyman named Mr. Tyke as the hospital chaplain, but Lydgate refrains, saying he does not want to involve himself in religious matters. 

When Mr. Vincy enters Bulstrode’s office, he invites Lydgate to dinner; Lydgate gladly departs, pleased to have an opportunity to meet Rosamond again. Vincy tells Bulstrode about Featherstone’s demand for a letter from him, and Bulstrode refuses to provide one. He says that Fred may well have tried to borrow money in the way that Featherstone suggests and, in any case, he does not think it would be a good thing for Fred to inherit Featherstone’s land. Mr. Vincy is angered by these remarks and threatens to quarrel with Bulstrode. Bulstrode finally agrees to consult his wife, Vincy’s sister, on the matter and says that he will probably send Vincy the letter he requires. 

Chapter 14

Bulstrode sends the letter, and Fred delivers it to Featherstone, who reads it out loud with contemptuous comments. Despite his disagreeable temper, he decides to give Feed some money, which he takes out of a tin box he has in bed with him. Fred, who has an optimistic disposition, hopes that the sum may be enough to pay a debt he has recently incurred and is disappointed when Mr. Featherstone gives him only one hundred pounds, though he pretends to be pleased and grateful. 

When Mr. Featherstone sends him away, Fred goes to see Mary Garth before leaving Stone House. He is in love with Mary and tells her so, asking her for encouragement. Mary will not give him any, saying that although he has been kind to her, he should never speak to her like this again. Fred returns home in a bad mood but not in despair, as he is convinced that Mary cares for him, despite her words. He gives eighty pounds of Mr. Featherstone’s money to his mother, asking her to keep it for him so that he will not spend it. He needs this money—and more—because he owes a debt of one hundred and sixty pounds, for which Mary Garth’s father, Caleb, has begrudgingly provided security. 

Chapter 15

The people of Middlemarch have quickly come to accept that Lydgate is above the average standard of country doctors. However, none of them know much about his background, to which this chapter is devoted. Tertius Lydgate is twenty-seven years old, the orphaned son of an army officer who did not leave much for his three children to inherit. His passion for medicine was awakened when he was at school and happened to read an anatomy book. He studied medicine in London, Edinburgh, and Paris and is intent on reforming the profession and making new discoveries. He has settled in Middlemarch because he wants to avoid the “intrigues, jealousies, and social truckling” of the profession in London, preferring to win fame more slowly, like Edward Jenner, through the value of his work.

When he was in Paris, Lydgate fell in love with an actress called Laure, who stabbed her husband (also an actor) on stage during a performance. She was cleared of murder and released, but later told Lydgate that she intended to kill her husband because she disliked being married. After...

(This entire section contains 1034 words.)

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this, Lydgate devoted himself to his work and resolved to adopt “a strictly scientific view of women, entertaining no expectations but such as were justified beforehand.”

Chapter 16

The appointment of a chaplain for the new hospital is a controversial matter in Middlemarch and within the Vincy family. Bulstrode favors Mr. Tyke, an evangelical clergyman, whereas Vincy prefers the more tolerant Mr. Farebrother. At dinner, Vincy asks Lydgate’s opinion on the matter, but Lydgate says that he knows little of either man. He adds that, as a general rule, such appointments are unfortunately made based on personal preferences and connections, rather than on who is best qualified to do the work. 

After dinner, Lydgate talks to Rosamond about music and is delighted by her performance on the piano. She says that she is afraid he will find the people in Middlemarch very stupid, and he replies that he has already found “some charms in it which are much greater than I expected.” When he returns home, however, he immerses himself in a book about fever and thinks that he does not intend to marry for at least five years. 

Chapter 17

The next evening, Lydgate visits the Reverend Camden Farebrother, who lives with his mother, aunt, and sister in an old stone parsonage overlooking an equally ancient church. They discuss Mr. Tyke, whom Farebrother says is “a zealous fellow: not very learned, and not very wise.” Mr. Farebrother also talks of Mary Garth, whom Lydgate has often seen on his visits to Mr. Featherstone but hardly noticed, saying that she is an excellent girl and a particular favorite of his. Finally, Mr. Farebrother says that, though he would like the position of chaplain at the new hospital, he will not blame Lydgate if he votes for Mr. Tyke, as he will make an enemy of Bulstrode if he does not do so. 

Chapter 18

As the vote for the hospital chaplaincy approaches, Lydgate has not decided whom he will support. He would not have hesitated to comply with Bulstrode’s wishes and vote for Mr. Tyke if he had not come to care personally for Mr. Farebrother. When a meeting of the hospital board is held to discuss the appointment, the vote is evenly split between Tyke and Farebrother when Bulstrode notices that Lydgate has not yet voted. He finally decides to vote for Tyke and therefore preserve his friendly relations with Bulstrode. Mr. Farebrother shows no annoyance at this and continues to meet Lydgate on the same amiable terms as before. 

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