# The Time Will Come explained — The Small House at Allington

> Chapter companion for The Small House at Allington by Anthony Trollope.

## What happens

The squire learns that John Eames is staying at Guestwick Manor and is invited to dine there. Lord De Guest attempts to persuade the squire to support a match between Johnny and Lily, but the squire is reserved. Meanwhile, Lily feels sore and wounded at the thought of being discussed, and Bernard Dale avoids meeting Crosbie in London.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love and Marriage

The chapter centers on Lord De Guest's scheme to marry Johnny to Lily, highlighting marriage as a social and economic arrangement.

### Social Class and Status

Johnny's nervousness about dining with the earl and the squire's cautious response reflect class dynamics and the importance of status.

### Pride and Prejudice

Lily's soreness and the squire's coldness show how pride and past prejudice affect their responses to new proposals.

## Character check-ins

### Lilian Dale

Lily feels sore and anxious upon hearing that John Eames is nearby, connecting every event to her heartbreak.

### John Eames

Johnny is staying at Guestwick Manor, being coached by Lord De Guest and Lady Julia on how to win the squire's approval.

### Christopher Dale

The squire is reserved and slow to respond to Lord De Guest's proposal about Johnny and Lily, though he is civil.

### Lord De Guest

The earl conspires with Lady Julia and Johnny to arrange a match, offering to provide for Johnny if he marries Lily.

### Lady Julia De Guest

Lady Julia advises patience and helps receive the squire, doubting Lily's quick acquiescence.

### Captain Bernard Dale

Bernard avoids going to London because he does not yet know how to treat Crosbie, casting a shadow over Lily.

## Key lines

> There are certain maladies which make the whole body sore. The patient, let him be touched on any point—let him even be nearly touched—will roar with agony as though his whole body had been bruised. So it is also with maladies of the mind.

Emotional pain can make a person hypersensitive, so that even a slight reference to their suffering causes intense distress.

_Narrator's metaphor for Lily's heartache after Crosbie's betrayal._

> She bore her cross bravely and well; but not the less did it weigh heavily upon her at every turn because she had the strength to walk as though she did not bear it.

Lily endured her sorrow with outward composure, but the burden remained constant and heavy.

_Describes Lily's quiet suffering and resilience._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_small_house_at_allington_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-time-will-come
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_small_house_at_allington_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_small_house_at_allington_se/chapters