The Small House at Allington

In which the squire, with a melancholy grace, consents to Bell’s marriage and offers a modest settlement, while Mrs. Dale wrestles with the pangs of departure from the old family home and the uncertain future it portends. Meanwhile, a dull and constrained dinner at Guestwick Manor gathers a company ill-suited to conviviality, revealing the subtle disparities of temper and station that cloud their interactions.