# Down in Suffolk explained — The Way We Live Now

> Chapter companion for The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope.

## What happens

Roger Carbury resolves to accept Hetta's love for Paul Montague and devotes himself to their happiness. He arranges for Hetta to stay in Suffolk, and later gives her away at her wedding to Paul. The chapter concludes with the wedding and a brief update on other characters, including John Crumb and Ruby Ruggles.

## Themes in this chapter

### Love vs. Practicality

Roger Carbury grapples with the tension between his own practical judgment of Paul's character and Hetta's love for Paul, ultimately choosing to support her emotional choice.

### Family Obligation and Selfishness

Lady Carbury's weak opposition to Hetta's engagement contrasts with Roger's selfless decision to prioritize Hetta's happiness over his own.

## Character check-ins

### Paul Montague

Adjusts his affairs with Hetta after Roger's visit; marries Hetta in the spring.

### Hetta Carbury

Accepts Paul's proposal despite her mother's opposition; marries Paul in the spring.

### Roger Carbury

Struggles inwardly but resolves to support Hetta and Paul; gives Hetta away at the wedding.

### Lady Carbury

Weakly opposes Hetta's engagement but eventually accepts it; later marries Mr. Broune.

### John Crumb

Attends the wedding with his wife Ruby; now a tenant of Roger Carbury.

### Ruby Ruggles

Attends the wedding with her husband John Crumb; playfully exchanges words with him.

## Key lines

> I don’t know what you mean to live on, Lady Carbury said, threatening future evils in a plaintive tone.

Lady Carbury worried about the couple's financial prospects.

_Lady Carbury expresses concern about Paul and Hetta's income._

> What did love mean if not that? What could be the devotion which men so often affect to feel if it did not tend to self-sacrifice on behalf of the beloved one?

Roger reflects that true love requires self-sacrifice for the beloved's happiness.

_Roger's internal reasoning leads him to accept Hetta's choice._

> John Crumb, who was there with his wife—himself now one of Roger’s tenants, having occupied the land which had become vacant by the death of old Daniel Ruggles—declared that the wedding was almost as good fun as his own.

John Crumb, now a tenant farmer, enjoyed the wedding and compared it favorably to his own.

_John Crumb's presence at the wedding shows his improved circumstances._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_we_live_now_se/chapters/c-down-in-suffolk
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_we_live_now_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_we_live_now_se/chapters