Daniel Deronda Chapter 36

In which Mr. Vandernoodt imparts scandalous gossip about Grandcourt’s mysterious past, stirring Deronda’s meditations on concealed sorrows and the burdens of secret knowledge, whilst at the family’s New Year’s Eve ball, Gwendolen wrestles with her own remorse and the sharp restrictions of her new life. In these moments of tentative confidence and tender counsel, Deronda seeks to guide her toward a broader sympathy and the difficult labour of self-betterment, even as the shadow of Grandcourt’s stern control looms near.