The Small House at Allington · Chapter
Conclusion explained
The final chapter resolves the fates of the main characters.
What happens
The final chapter resolves the fates of the main characters. Lily Dale remains resilient after her broken engagement, finding happiness in her independence and her family. Bell Dale marries Dr. Crofts, and the squire reconciles with Mrs. Dale, promising a more harmonious life at Allington. Crosbie's career recovers but his social standing is diminished, and he and Lady Alexandrina live in reduced circumstances at Baden-Baden. The chapter also resolves the Hopkins controversy, with Lily mediating a reconciliation between the squire and his gardener.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Marriage
Bell's marriage to Dr. Crofts represents a practical, happy union, while Crosbie's failed marriage illustrates the consequences of social ambition.
Family and Obligation
The squire's reconciliation with Mrs. Dale and his forgiveness of Hopkins underscore the importance of family bonds and duty.
Pride and Prejudice
Lily's refusal to complain after her broken engagement and the squire's initial stubbornness with Hopkins reflect pride and its resolution.
Characters to notice
- Lilian Dale
Resolves to be happy after her broken engagement, mediates between the squire and Hopkins, and remains at the Small House.
- Adolphus Crosbie
Recovers his power at his office but loses his social standing; his marriage to Lady Alexandrina ends in separation.
- Isabella Dale
Marries Dr. Crofts and prepares to move to Wales, joking about the ordinariness of a doctor's wedding.
- Dr. Crofts
Marries Bell Dale, promising to be good to her and to Mrs. Dale.
- Mrs. Dale
Remains at the Small House, with improved relations with the squire, and is promised a place in her daughter's home.
- Christopher Dale
Acknowledges his past unkindness to Mrs. Dale, reconciles with Hopkins, and grants Lily the freedom to spend money.
- Hopkins
Reconciled with the squire after a mutual forgiveness, resumes his wages and control over the farmyard.
- Lady Alexandrina De Courcy
Lives with her mother at Baden-Baden in reduced circumstances, sharing a one-horse carriage.
Key passages
“Wives when they have lost their husbands still eat and laugh, she said to herself, and he is not dead like that. So she resolved that she would be happy, and I here declare that she not only seemed to carry out her resolution, but that she did carry it out in very truth.”
Lily decides to move on from her heartbreak, reasoning that widows manage to find joy, and she genuinely succeeds in being happy.
Lily's determination to overcome her sorrow and find genuine happiness after Crosbie's betrayal.
“I shall expect you to be good to me too. Remember you have married the whole family; and, sir, you mustn't believe a word of what that bad man says in his novels about mothers-in-law.”
Mrs. Dale jokingly warns Dr. Crofts that he must treat her well and not be influenced by negative stereotypes of mothers-in-law.
Mrs. Dale's playful yet pointed advice to her new son-in-law, emphasizing family unity.
“He had taken his little vessel bravely out into the deep waters, and had sailed her well while fortune stuck close to him. But he had forgotten his nautical rules, and success had made him idle. His plummet and lead had not been used, and he had kept no lookout ahead. Therefore the first rock he met shivered his bark to pieces.”
Crosbie's initial success in life was undone by his carelessness and lack of foresight, leading to his downfall.
A metaphorical summary of Crosbie's rise and fall due to his own negligence.
