The Perpetual Curate · Chapter
II explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Wentworth walks home through a rain shower, brooding over his diminished influence in Carlingford after the arrival of the new Rector, Mr. Morgan. He reflects on his precarious position: his hopes for the family living of Skelmersdale depend on his Evangelical aunts, the Miss Wentworths, who disapprove of his High Church views. His thoughts turn to Lucy Wodehouse, whose society he craves but cannot claim without a secure living. Earlier, he had joined Lucy and her sister for the Wharfside service, and later dined at the Wodehouses' where Mr. Morgan slighted his work. Lucy's sister gently warns her about appearances, but Lucy defends their collaboration. The chapter ends with Mr. Wentworth's anxious reflections on his future.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Reputation
Frank's dependence on his aunts' patronage for the Skelmersdale living highlights how clerical careers were tied to family connections and social standing.
Love and Marriage
Frank's longing for Lucy is intertwined with his professional ambitions; his inability to marry without a secure living is a central tension.
Hypocrisy and Moral Judgment
Mr. Morgan's studied ignorance of Frank's work at Wharfside, while planning his own reforms, suggests a hypocritical rivalry masked as pastoral concern.
Characters to notice
- Frank Wentworth
The Perpetual Curate of St. Roque's, brooding over his lost influence and his uncertain prospects for the Skelmersdale living, which depends on his aunts.
- Lucy Wodehouse
The object of Frank's affections; she defends her frequent meetings with him as part of district work, and is described as having blue eyes and a sweet voice.
- Mr. Wodehouse
Lucy's father, a churchwarden who hosts a dinner party for the Rector and his wife, and remarks on Lucy's growing prettiness.
- Mr. Morgan
The new Rector of Carlingford, who ignores Mr. Wentworth's work at Wharfside and speaks of his own plans for reform.
- Mrs. Hadwin
Frank's landlady, the widow of a former curate, who is permitted to take a lodger due to her propriety.
Key passages
“Mr. Wentworth pursued his way down the dark line of garden-walls, in the face of a sudden April shower which happened to be falling, he had full scope and opportunity for his thoughts. These thoughts were not the most agreeable in the world.”
Walking home in the rain, Frank had plenty of time to think, and his thoughts were unpleasant.
Sets the mood of Frank's anxious reflection after the dinner party.
“He had been more than rector, he had been archdeacon, or rather bishop, in Mr. Proctor’s time; for that good man was humble, and thankful for the advice and assistance of his young brother, who knew so much better than he did.”
Under the previous rector, Frank had effectively run the parish because Mr. Proctor was grateful for his help.
Highlights Frank's former dominance in Carlingford and the contrast with the new rector.
“That parish of his own which Miss Wodehouse had wished him—which would free the young clergyman from all trammels so far as his work was concerned; and would enable him to marry, and do everything for him—it was in the power of the Miss Wentworths to bestow;”
The living that would give Frank independence and allow him to marry was controlled by his aunts.
Explains the central conflict: Frank's future depends on his aunts' approval.
“Not for freedom, not for Lucy, would the Perpetual Curate temporise and manage the matter; so the fact was that he stood at the present moment in a very perilous predicament.”
Frank would not compromise his principles even for Lucy or his career, leaving him in a dangerous position.
Shows Frank's stubborn integrity and the stakes of his situation.
“He gave a wistful lingering look down the long line of garden-walls, pausing upon one point where the blossomed boughs of an apple-tree overlooked that enclosure.”
He paused longingly at the spot where the apple tree hung over the garden wall.
Symbolizes Frank's longing for Lucy and the domestic happiness she represents.
“The green door opened just as he reached it, and Lucy and her elder sister came out in those grey cloaks which the Rector had slandered.”
As Frank arrived, Lucy and her sister emerged wearing the grey cloaks the Rector had criticized.
Shows the sisters' involvement in Frank's Wharfside mission and the Rector's disapproval.
