Daniel Deronda

Surrounded by dogs, Grandcourt relaxes at home with his associate, Mr. Lush, who works as his servant and advisor. He has worked for Grandcourt for 15 years and functions as his own personal “prime minister.” Born the son of a vicar, Lush then attended Oxford University. Working for Grandcourt furnishes Lush with an easy life and means that he has not needed to become a priest, like his father. Grandcourt confides in Lush that he plans to marry Gwendolen rather than Catherine Arrowpoint.

Mrs. Torrington is Grandcourt’s cousin. Lush invites her to Diplow as part of his efforts to organize Grandcourt’s social life, though Grandcourt is uninterested in most people other than Gwendolen. Grandcourt plans a large party. Gwendolen and her mother are invited. Before the party, he goes riding with Gwendolen. Grandcourt signals his romantic interest in Gwendolen, telling her that he “should like to have the right always to take care of [her]” (109). Gwendolen reacts as she normally does to the subject, withdrawing with distaste, but she also hints that she is not entirely averse to the idea.

Gwendolen’s mother and uncle both support the idea of marriage to Grandcourt. When Mr. Gascoigne wants to discuss Gwendolen’s prospects seriously, she cannot bring herself to disagree with him. However, she insists that she hasn’t answered Grandcourt. Mr. Gascoigne reminds Gwendolen that a marriage to Grandcourt would be beneficial for her family. Elsewhere, Lush travels to the train station to meet a middle-aged woman who is arriving in town with two of her children. She has two other children who are not with her. Privately, Lush believes that Gwendolen is not a suitable marriage prospect for Grandcourt and that the nuptials won’t happen.

Another archery tournament is planned, and Gwendolen prepares. This time, the format of the tournament will be a walk through the forest, during which the archers will be presented with a number of targets. Gwendolen hopes to see Grandcourt at the tournament. She has been dwelling on the subject of marriage, thinking that it might be the way to gain a larger amount of freedom in her life. Gwendolen and Grandcourt meet at the tournament. As they walk together, she probes him, inviting him to make his interest more apparent. She notices that he “never speaks stupidly” (122). Grandcourt feels watched by other people. As he and Gwendolen stand on the top of a hill, he feels the community staring at him.

Later, Gwendolen and Grandcourt are mingling among the tournament-goers. Lord Brackenshaw’s servant approaches Gwendolen with a private note. The note invites Gwendolen to the Whispering Stones to learn a secret about Grandcourt, which might affect her desire to marry him. Grandcourt is nowhere to be seen, having wandered off to smoke a cigar. Gwendolen slips away from the group and heads to the Whispering Stones, a local landmark. There, a woman is waiting for her. The woman is the person Lush collected from the train station, and she introduces herself as Lydia Glasher. She claims to be Grandcourt’s lover. Nine years ago, Lydia abandoned her husband and child to embark on an illicit affair with Grandcourt that did not last. Now that her husband is dead, Lydia claims, Grandcourt must marry her and be a father to their four children. Furthermore, their eldest son should be Grandcourt’s rightful heir. Gwendolen is shocked. She promises Lydia that she cannot and will not marry Grandcourt.

Returning to the tournament, she makes her excuses and returns home with her mother. The following day, she accepts an invitation from her cousins, the Langrens, to travel to the south of England ahead of a tour around Europe. Before she leaves, she tells her mother that she no longer wants to marry Grandcourt. She does not tell her why, but insists that “all men are bad” (128).

The sudden, unexplained departure of Gwendolen is an annoyance to Grandcourt. He wonders whether he should blame his carelessness for her behavior. Though he initially plans to follow her to Dover, he delays several times. By the time he arrives at the Langrens’ hotel, they have already left. He happens to meet his uncle, Sir Hugo, who is traveling with his family, including his ward, Daniel Deronda. Grandcourt and Sir Hugo are related but not overly friendly. According to the rules of inheritance, Sir Hugo’s failure to produce a male heir means that his estate—including his childhood home at Diplow—will pass to Grandcourt on his death. Sir Hugo has “no active spite” against his nephew (133), but he has been planning to offer to buy Diplow from Grandcourt, and he is concerned that Grandcourt will become too accustomed to the house while he is renting it to sell.

Sir Hugo mentions Deronda’s recent trip to a bar, including a meeting with a “gambling beauty.” Deronda is able to deduce that Grandcourt may know Gwendolen, which Grandcourt confirms. That evening, Lush talks to Sir Hugo. He tells him that Grandcourt is “on the brink of marrying [Gwendolen]” (135). He warns Sir Hugo that Gwendolen has a dangerous character and that any potential marriage to Grandcourt would be foolish. Sir Hugo assures Deronda in private that, if a woman had to choose between him and Grandcourt, then he is sure that Deronda would be the first choice.

The narrative turns to Deronda’s “exceptional” early life. As a child, Deronda is smart and handsome. He is a pleasant child whose voice brings joy to people. Though he grows up in Sir Hugo’s house, he does not initially question the identity of his parents. He is told that they died when he was young and that Sir Hugo has appointed himself to look after Deronda. When Deronda is 13, Sir Hugo suggests that he become a singer. Deronda is offended. By this time, he has grown interested in his birth parents. He does not believe that he belongs to the same social class as Sir Hugo. He wonders whether he is Sir Hugo’s illegitimate son but does not know how to raise the subject. One day, when he is about to ask Sir Hugo about the matter, Deronda is relieved by the news that he is to be educated just like any other “English gentleman.” He attends Eton. Just before he is set to join the school, Sir Hugo marries his first wife. He is 45 at this time.

Deronda studies at Eton and then intends to attend Cambridge University, as Sir Hugo has planned for him. By the time he is ready to go to Cambridge, Hugo and his wife have three daughters but no sons. Deronda performs well at Cambridge but struggles to keep up with his studies. He is supported financially by Sir Hugo. He spends a great deal of time helping Hans Meyrick, his friend, study the classics. When Meyrick develops an eye infection, Deronda sacrifices his own performance to attend to his friend and help him study. He becomes disillusioned with his own education and believes that a trip abroad would help him to broaden his view of the world. In private, Meyrick has written to Sir Hugo to explain the sacrifices that Deronda has made on his behalf. Proud of Deronda, Hugo is more than happy to fund Deronda’s European trip.

Deronda returns to England and studies law. He receives a small income from Sir Hugo but he is privately unsure about his future career. He is a keen rower and he rows often along the River Thames. While rowing one day, he sees a girl bending down close to the water. He passes her again and sees that she is dipping her cloak into the water. He surmises that she is making the cloak so heavy that it will function as a “drowning-shroud” when she throws herself into the river. Deronda abandons his rowing and rushes to save the girl. He convinces her not to die by suicide. Speaking to her, he learns that she is English and Jewish. She is hesitant to reveal her ethnicity, worrying that he might not like her because she is “a Jewess.” Deronda assures her that he is not concerned. The girl explains that she is in London to find her mother and brother, who are said to be there. However, she has no way to support herself and she has not been able to find anyone. Driven to desperation, she had planned to die by suicide. Deronda does not want to take her to his family home. He fears that she might be intimidated by Lady Mallinger. Instead, he takes her to his friend Meyrick’s house.

Meyrick’s mother lives in a “very narrow and shabby” house (164). She shares the house with her three daughters, who all work to support the family. Kate is an illustrator while Amy and Mab help their mother to embroider silk cushions. Deronda arrives with the mysterious girl. He is greeted warmly. When he asks the family to care for the “weary, poor child” (168), she introduces herself as Mirah Lapidoth. The family welcomes her in and she is happy to be treated so nicely.