The Art of First Impressions — Middlemarch

Lydgate is already fascinated by Rosamond Vincy, though he does not think he has fallen in love. She is grace itself, exquisite music; Dorothea, after one conversation, seems as tiring as teaching the second form. Eliot notes that destiny stands sarcastic with our dramatis personae folded in her hand while neighbors remain indifferent to each other's fates.

Rosamond is the flower of Mrs. Lemon's school, with nymph-like blondness and taste in costume; she silently wishes her father would invite the new surgeon. The Vincys are woven through Middlemarch by manufacture, marriage, and Featherstone's childless second wife. At breakfast, Mrs. Vincy beams over cold remains while Rosamond complains of Fred's grilled bone and late hours. Fred argues that disagreeable describes her feelings, not his actions; they quarrel over slang, superior, and the flute.

Rosamond says she will not marry any Middlemarch young man; Fred reports Lydgate as clever and rather a prig. Rosamond hints at Mary Garth and Lydgate; Fred grows glum. Mrs. Vincy urges Rosamond to court uncle Featherstone, but Rosamond would rather not endure his cough for an inheritance. She negotiates a ride to Stone Court by enduring Fred's wheezy flute practice, setting the stage for the Stone Court visit in the next chapter.