Doctor Thorne is the third novel in Anthony Trollope's series known as the Chronicles of Barsetshire. The novel is mainly concerned with the difficulties experienced by Mary Thorne, the niece of Doctor Thomas Thorne, in the course of her romance with Frank Gresham, the only son of a wealthy estate owner. In this excerpt, Frank’s sister Augusta is sent to look for Frank, whom she finds in the company of the much less wealthy Mary Thorne.
1 Augusta found her brother Frank in the worst of bad society, so at least the stern de Courcys would have thought, walking with no other company than Mary Thorne, and walking with her, too, in much too close proximity.
2 How he had contrived to be off with the old love and so soon on with the new, or rather, to be off with the new love and again on with the old, Augusta did not stop to inquire. Had her mother Lady Arabella, in truth, known all her son's doings, she would have been in a hurry to send him off to Courcy Castle and Miss Dunstable.
3 Some days before, young Frank had sworn in sober earnest that he loved Mary Thorne with a love for which words could find no sufficient expression, with a love that could never die, never grow dim, never become less. He declared that no opposition on the part of others could extinguish it, no opposition on her part could repel; that he might, could, would, and should have her for his wife, and that if she told him she didn't love him, he wasn’t sure what he would do.
4 "Oh, Mary! Mary, do you love me? Don't you love me? Won't you love me? Say you will. Oh, Mary, dearest Mary, will you? Come now, you have a right to give a fellow an answer."
5 With such eloquence had the heir of Greshamsbury, when not yet twenty-one years of age, attempted to possess himself of the affections of the doctor's niece. And yet three days afterwards he was quite ready to flirt with Miss Oriel.
6 And what had Mary said when these fervent protestations of an undying love had been thrown at her feet? Mary, it must be remembered, was very nearly of the same age as Frank; but, as I and others have so often said before, "Women grow on the sunny side of the wall." Though Frank was only a boy, it behoved Mary to be something more than a girl. Frank might be allowed to throw all of what he believed to be his heart into a declaration of what he believed to be love, but Mary was expected to be more thoughtful, more aware of the facts of their unequal positions, more careful of her own feelings, and more careful also of his.
7 And yet she could not put him down as another young lady might put down another young gentleman. Frank and Mary had been so much together in his time away from school, had so constantly consorted together as boys and girls, that he had not that innate fear of a woman which represses a young man's tongue. And she was so used to his good humor, his fun, his high jovial spirits; she was so fond of them and of him, that it was very difficult for her to stop him.
8 When Frank declared that Mary had a right to give him an answer, he meant that he had a right to expect one. Mary acknowledged this right, and gave it to him.
9 "Mr. Gresham," she said.
10 "Oh, Mary! Mr. Gresham?"
11 "Yes, Mr. Gresham. It must be Mr. Gresham after that. And, moreover, it must be Miss Thorne as well."
12 "I'll be lost if I must call you Miss Thorne, and not Mary, my Mary."
13 "Well, I can't say that I shall be lost if you won’t; but if you do not agree that it shall be so, I shall be turned out of Greshamsbury."
14 "What? You mean my mother would force you out?" said Frank.
15 "Indeed, I mean no such thing," said Mary, with a flash from her eye that made Frank almost start. "I mean you, not your mother. I am not in the least afraid of Lady Arabella; but I am afraid of you."
16 "Afraid of me, Mary!"
17 "Miss Thorne; pray, pray, remember. It must be Miss Thorne. Do not turn me out of Greshamsbury. Do not separate me from Beatrice. It is you that will drive me out; no one else. I could stand my ground against your mother—I feel I could; but I cannot stand against you if you treat me otherwise than—than..."
18 "Otherwise than what? I want to treat you as the girl I have chosen, long ago chosen, from all the world, as my wife!"
19 "I am sorry you should so soon have found it necessary to make a choice. But, Mr. Gresham, we must not joke about this at present. I am sure you would not willingly injure me; but if you speak to me, or of me, again in that way, you will injure me, injure me so much that I shall be forced to leave Greshamsbury in my own defense. I know you are too generous to drive me to that."
20 Frank, dumbfounded of course, went upstairs to see if his new pocket-pistols were properly cleaned, for he would need something to distract him from his love refusing his advancements. Mary returned to her home where she lived with her uncle, wishing herself of high enough birth to be worthy of receiving the declaration just offered her, knowing her dear Frank’s family would never be inclined to accept her as his choice. Mary had contrived to quiet Frank with a considerable propriety of demeanor; then came the somewhat harder task of quieting herself. She had not for an instant contemplated it as possible that she should ever become Mrs. Gresham because Frank had offered to make her so; nevertheless, she could not help thinking of what had occurred.
Trollope, Anthony. Doctor Thorne. Chapman & Hall. 1858. London. In the public domain. Adapted by Educational Leadership Solutions, Inc.
Austen, Jane. Pride and Prejudice. Thomas Egerton. 1813. London. In the public domain. Adapted by Educational Leadership Solutions, Inc.
Which two aspects of Frank’s character are revealed in paragraphs 2-5?
He is obedient to his mother’s wishes.
He is quick to jump from one love interest to another.
He upholds his vow to wait patiently for Mary to accept his offer.
He believes his love will not be deterred by his family’s objections.
He considers himself to be superior to Mary because of his wealth.
1 answer
In paragraphs 2-5, the two aspects of Frank's character that are revealed are:
He is quick to jump from one love interest to another. - The text indicates that just a few days after declaring his undying love for Mary Thorne, Frank is ready to flirt with another woman, Miss Oriel. This suggests a lack of steadfastness in his affections.
He believes his love will not be deterred by his family’s objections. - Frank expresses a strong belief that no opposition from others, including his family, will extinguish his love for Mary, indicating a sense of determination and conviction regarding his feelings.
So, the correct options are:
He is quick to jump from one love interest to another.
He believes his love will not be deterred by his family’s objections.
1 answer