The Small House at Allington · Chapter
The Wounded Fawn explained
Nearly two months after Crosbie's betrayal, Lily Dale struggles to recover from her broken engagement.
What happens
Nearly two months after Crosbie's betrayal, Lily Dale struggles to recover from her broken engagement. She displays remarkable courage, initially standing firm before collapsing into illness, then rising again with renewed strength. She openly tells her mother she will always love Crosbie but insists she can bear the pain. Mrs. Dale hopes time will heal Lily and secretly wishes for John Eames. Meanwhile, the squire and Bernard Dale fume over Crosbie's escape from punishment, lamenting that duels are no longer possible. Crosbie himself faces social consequences, feeling watched by the De Courcys and quarreling with the Honourable John, while Mortimer Gazebee's hospitality becomes a burden.
Themes in this chapter
Honor and Moral Integrity
The squire and Bernard Dale struggle with the inability to punish Crosbie for his dishonorable conduct, reflecting changing social codes regarding honor and vengeance.
Love and Marriage
Lily's enduring love for Crosbie despite his betrayal and her conviction that she can never love again highlight the theme of love's persistence beyond broken engagements.
Family and Obligation
The Dale family's collective grief and support for Lily, as well as Mrs. Dale's dutiful letter to Crosbie, emphasize family bonds and obligations in times of crisis.
Characters to notice
- Lilian Dale
Lily shows courage and resilience after Crosbie's betrayal, declaring she will always love him but can bear the pain; she falls ill briefly then recovers, asserting her intention to remain dutiful only for a time.
- Mrs. Dale
Mrs. Dale writes a letter to Crosbie acknowledging his letter and conveying Lily's forgiveness, while privately hoping time will cure Lily and preferring John Eames as a suitor.
- Isabella Dale
Bell is present during Lily's illness and recovery, sharing her mother's anxiety over Lily's condition.
- Christopher Dale
The squire is deeply angered by Crosbie's betrayal, refusing to forgive him and lamenting that duels are no longer possible to avenge the injury.
- Captain Bernard Dale
Bernard is troubled, wishing he could duel Crosbie but believing it impossible; he fears Crosbie will escape punishment and that the affair may bring triumph to Crosbie.
- Adolphus Crosbie
Crosbie faces social consequences: he is watched by the De Courcys, quarrels with the Honourable John, and feels burdened by Mortimer Gazebee's hospitality; he knows he is seen as a scoundrel.
Key passages
“It amounted to an assertion on Lily's part that she had loved once and could never love again; that she had played her game, hoping, as other girls hope, that she might win the prize of a husband; but that, having lost, she could never play the game again.”
Lily implies she has loved once and cannot love again, viewing marriage as a game she has lost and cannot replay.
Lily expresses her conviction that her romantic prospects are permanently over after Crosbie's betrayal.
“She bent herself to the blast during that week of illness, and then arose with her form still straight and graceful, and with her bright light unquenched.”
Lily yielded to her grief during her illness but recovered with her spirit and dignity intact.
Describes Lily's temporary collapse and subsequent resilience, emphasizing her inner strength.
“In those days a gentleman might have a fellow out who had treated him as he has treated us. A man was satisfied in feeling that he had done something. I suppose the world is different nowadays.”
The squire reflects that in the past a gentleman could duel to avenge such an insult, but modern society no longer allows that satisfaction.
The squire laments the decline of dueling as a means of defending family honor.
