Middlemarch Chapter 5

In which the young and idealistic Dorothea Brooke receives a heartfelt and scholarly marriage proposal from the earnest and bookish Mr. Casaubon, setting her mind alight with thoughts of a higher purpose and devoted companionship. As she confides in her sister Celia and prepares for the profound change ahead, the quiet family circle contemplates the promise and peculiarities of this union with gentle surprise and understated affection.