Middlemarch

Dorothea finds Lydgate at the hospital. He tells her that her husband wished to know more about his health, mentioning that there are "no signs of change" (622) to his condition. Lydgate takes the opportunity to champion the hospital as a charitable venture, hoping that the wealthy Casaubons may make a donation. Dorothea promises to "help a little" (625). Later, she tells her husband that she visited Lydgate. The confession makes Casaubon even more distrustful of his wife.

Lydgate's hospital is increasingly unpopular, which Lydgate blames on "jealousy and dunderheaded prejudice" (627). The local people associate the hospital with the unpopular Bulstrode, encouraged by the other doctors in the town to distrust Lydgate's modern techniques. Doctors such as Sprague and Minchin are annoyed that Lydgate offers his services for free while they charge patients. Other pharmacists and surgeons in the town, such as Wrench, Gambit, and Toller, also resent his "offensive" (630) efforts to make healthcare free or affordable to the poor. Their opposition makes staff recruitment difficult. Lydgate's treatments are successful but many people remain skeptical about his innovative methods, as well as his political views. Talking about his problems with Rosamond, she mentions that both she and his family consider the medical profession to be beneath a gentleman such as himself. Lydgate says her statement "pains" (651) him.

Middlemarch is becoming "more and more conscious of the national struggle for another kind of Reform" (653). The Reform Bill currently being discussed in parliament will change the political landscape in the United Kingdom and give more representation to smaller landholders and some poor people. Will and Arthur plot the ways in which they can use their newspaper to educate the people of Middlemarch about the benefits of this bill. Will "thoroughly" (655) enjoys this new venture, enjoying the political side of life. Many people dislike him, however, perceiving him as a "crack-brained" (658) outsider with strange opinions. His murky past and his inscrutable social class make him even more difficult to define. The Bulstrodes stand out being on the "same side" (660) as Will, however, as do the Lydgates and the Farebrothers. Will and Lydgate share many long, invigorating political debates, even though they disagree over such topics as whether Arthur should stand for office. When Will takes offence during one of these debates, Lydgate is forced to apologize for "unintentionally annoying" (665) him.

The "little discussion" (667) with Lydgate makes Will doubt whether Arthur is a suitable candidate for office. Will still harbors romantic "passions" (668) for Dorothea, though he would never conspire against his cousin. Instead, he ruminates on an idealized version of Dorothea that he can worship innocently in his imagination. This mental version of Dorothea does not satisfy him and he decides to visit a Sunday service at her husband's church, just to get a sight of her. Dorothea sees Will in the congregation; she is polite but his presence makes her uneasy. Will feels "suddenly uncomfortable" (673). Casaubon refuses to acknowledge his cousin. Will, noting their reactions, feels as though he made a mistake by attending the service.

Dorothea wrongly presumes that Will's presence at the church means that he wishes for a "reconciliation" (676) with Casaubon. She dines with her husband and then they go to the library together to perform research for Casaubon's book. They review his notes and, as Casaubon provides instructions, he hopes that Dorothea will quickly pick up his logic and reasoning. Dorothea is allowed to glimpse her husband's work for the first time and she is immediately disappointed. His work seems tedious to her and she has lost faith in her husband as an intellectual.

As they work, Casaubon asks a question. He wants to know whether Dorothea will "carry out [his] wishes" (681) in his will, even though he refuses to specify the exact nature of his requests. Dorothea worries that he will make her promise to continue his research in the event of his death. The thought of such tedious work horrifies her and she asks for time to "reflect" (682) on his request. Later, bothered by the thought that she has disappointed her husband, she searches for him. She finds Casaubon in the garden. He is dead. Dorothea breaks down in grief as someone calls for a doctor.

The "day after Mr. Casaubon had been buried" (689), Chettam is angry. He meets with Arthur to tell him about a last-minute addition by Casaubon to his will which is a "positive insult to Dorothea" (691). The addition stipulates that, in the event of his death, Dorothea will lose her entire inheritance if she ever marries Will. Chettam criticizes Casaubon as a cruel man as the addition to the will threatens to ruin Dorothea's reputation. He is certainly not a gentleman, Chettam says. Though Chettam believes that Will should be sent away, Arthur insists that he needs the young editor to help with his political ambitions. Besides, Arthur suggests, sending Will away at this moment might make people gossip about a potential scandal. Chettam wonders whether Casaubon believed—as he does—that Will harbors a romantic interest in Dorothea. Chettam promises to "protect her" (694).

Dorothea decides that her mourning period must end and she feels ready to "exert" (697) herself. She has been staying with her sister but she returns to her dead husband's home to review the paperwork he left behind. The parish needs a new priest as well. Celia tells Dorothea about the last-minute addition to Casaubon's will. Dorothea initially feels repulsed by this "sobering dose of fact" (699), then she feels drawn toward Will.

Lydgate visits the house to check on the condition of the mourning widow. He recommends to her family that she be given plenty of "freedom" (702), as Casaubon was very restrictive in what he allowed her to do. He also discusses the potential new priests for the parish. Though Arthur is a fan of Tyke, Lydgate proposes Farebrother as a potential new candidate to take over Casaubon's congregation due to his "plain, easy eloquence" (706). The decision is up to Dorothea, so Lydgate suggests that she attend one of Farebrother's sermons to "see him preach" (708). In passing, Lydgate mentions the Farebrother family's connections to Will.

Will is no longer invited to visit Tipton Grange. The lack of invites from Arthur upsets him and he worries that his relationship with Dorothea is the cause. She is "continually in his thought" (710). He regrets that any attempt to reach out to them could only make matters worse. Nevertheless, Will continues to work for Arthur's "success" (712) as a political candidate. Just days before the election, however, Arthur drinks "another glass of sherry" (718) to settle his nerves before a big speech. His delivery is rambling and slurred. Furthermore, his opponents attack him by erecting an "effigy" (721) of him and throwing eggs at his image. Amid "roars of laughter" (723), Arthur gives up halfway through his speech. Will is embarrassed and seals himself away in his room, wondering whether he should give up on politics. He wonders what profession would make him worthy in Dorothea's eyes. Before he does anything, he resolves to see Dorothea. He must look her in the eyes and see "some kind of sign" (725) that she has affection for him, otherwise anything he could do would be pointless.

Arthur announces his withdrawal as a candidate, at least partly settling the question of Will's future. Arthur plans to sell The Pioneer, leaving Will without a job. However, Arthur promises to write a letter of recommendation to the leader of the Whig Party in London on Arthur's behalf. Will resolves to stay in Middlemarch.

Dorothea chooses Farebrother as Casaubon's replacement. The "Lowick living" (728) comes with an extra income that is warmly received by Farebrother's family. Now, he is told by his relatives, he is in a strong financial position and he would be a suitable person to "marry [Mary] Garth" (729). Just one week later, however, Fred approaches Farebrother. He has recently returned to Middlemarch after graduating from university and he is ready to join the clergy, except he does not "like divinity, and preaching, and feeling obliged to look serious" (732). Before he reluctantly settles on this profession, however, he wants to know whether there is any chance that Mary will ever marry him. He wants Farebrother to inquire on his behalf, fearing that she will reject a man who is "going into the Church" (734). Farebrother does as Fred asks. He speaks to Mary, who suddenly realizes that Farebrother himself may also be in love with her. Mary admits that she loves Fred so much that no one could ever truly replace him in her heart as she has "too strong a feeling" (740) for her childhood friend. However, she will not marry him until his future is clarified. He must prove himself worthy of her hand in marriage and she knows that she will never marry a priest. Farebrother leaves with this message, knowing that he stands no chance of winning Mary's heart.

Bulstrode becomes "the proprietor of Stone Court" (742) by buying the property from Joshua Rigg. One day, he inspects the property with Mr. Garth. They run into Raffles, whose strange comments strongly "imply" (747) that he is a figure from the past who holds some dark secret. Mr. Garth, recognizing the ominous nature of the comments, departs. Bulstrode is alone with Raffles. Some 25 years before, Raffles and Bulstrode were acquainted. This is not the first time that Raffles has tried to blackmail Bulstrode; "many years ago" (749), Bulstrode paid Raffles large sums of money and even sent him to America to avoid his presence. The "disagreeable" (753) Raffles demands more money in exchange for not exposing Bulstrode's murky past. He knows that Bulstrode once married an old widow and conspired to hide the woman's daughter and grandchild away, leaving him free to inherit her entire fortune and leaving them with nothing. Feeling a "shuddering nausea" (755), Bulstrode agrees that Raffles can stay at Stone Court for the night. Promising him several hundred pounds, he insists that Raffles leave Middlemarch the following day. Raffles refuses to make any promises.