Chapter 48

Casaubon finally asks Dorothea to assist him in his work by reading passages aloud and marking them with a pencil as he instructs her. When they have finished this work, he asks her if she will carry out his wishes after he is dead. Dorothea is not surprised by this request and does not answer immediately, which makes Casaubon think she is refusing. She asks for time to reflect, pointing out that he is asking her to pledge without telling her what his wishes are, then says that she will tell him tomorrow. Dorothea thinks that Casaubon will ask her to continue with his work on the key to all mythologies after he is dead, which troubles her, as she now believes this work is futile.

The next day, Dorothea speaks to Casaubon in the library and he asks her for an answer to his request. She says that she will tell him during his morning walk in the garden. When she goes outside, she finds him in the summer house, apparently asleep, and tells him to wake up so that she can give him his answer. Casaubon, however, is dead. Later that day, Dorothea is in bed, and Lydgate has been called in. She talks to him deliriously, telling him that she is ready to promise whatever Casaubon wants. 

Chapter 49

The day after Casaubon’s funeral, Sir James tells Mr. Brooke that he wishes Dorothea could be prevented from knowing the terms of her late husband’s will. Mr. Brooke says that this would be difficult, as she was named the executioner of her late husband’s estate and will want to do her duty. The precise cause of Sir James’s anger is not clear, but he expresses disgust at a codicil Casaubon added to his will, describing it as mean, ungentlemanly, and an insult to Dorothea. The provision concerns Will Ladislaw, and Sir James says that Mr. Brooke should send Will away from Middlemarch immediately, though Mr. Brooke is reluctant to do this. Sir James says that he is suspicious of Will but is also certain that Casaubon has wronged Dorothea with his distrust. 

Chapter 50

Dorothea has been staying with Sir James and Celia at Freshitt Hall for almost a week when she asks to see Casaubon’s will to see if he made any provision for another clergyman to succeed him as Vicar of Lowick. Celia warns her that there is a codicil to the will which says that Dorothea will forfeit all of Casaubon’s property if she marries Will Ladislaw. Dorothea is horrified but then feels “a strange yearning of heart towards Will Ladislaw,” of whom she has never thought in a romantic light before. 

Lydgate comes to call on Dorothea and, feeling her pulse, says that he is concerned that she is unwell. He tells Celia and Sir James that the best prescription for her is “perfect freedom” and she should be allowed to inspect the will if she wishes. Dorothea goes to Lowick, where she finds Casaubon’s instructions to continue with his work. However, since she never gave him her pledge, she does not feel inclined to do this. She also thinks that half of Casaubon’s property should go to Will, as he was deprived of his inheritance earlier in life by his relatives’ disapproval of his grandmother’s marriage. 

Chapter 51

Will is unaware of the stipulations Casaubon made in his will, as he has been immersed in political work with Mr. Brooke. However, he has noticed that Mr. Brooke no longer invites him to Tipton Grange and is affronted by this omission. Will...