0 Middlemarch
unpleasant letters which had forced themselves on his at-
tention. This could hardly have been more galling to any
disposition than to Lydgate’s, with his intense pride—his
dislike of asking a favor or being under an obligation to
any one. He had scorned even to form conjectures about
Mr. Vincy’s intentions on money matters, and nothing but
extremity could have induced him to apply to his father-in-
law, even if he had not been made aware in various indirect
ways since his marriage that Mr. Vincy’s own affairs were
not flourishing, and that the expectation of help from him
would be resented. Some men easily trust in the readiness
of friends; it had never in the former part of his life oc-
curred to Lydgate that he should need to do so: he had never
thought what borrowing would be to him; but now that the
idea had entered his mind, he felt that he would rather incur
any other hardship. In the mean time he had no money or
prospects of money; and his practice was not getting more
lucrative.
No wonder that Lydgate had been unable to suppress all
signs of inward trouble during the last few months, and now
that Rosamond was regaining brilliant health, he meditated
taking her entirely into confidence on his difficulties. New
conversance with tradesmen’s bills had forced his reasoning
into a new channel of comparison: he had begun to consider
from a new point of view what was necessary and unneces-
sary in goods ordered, and to see that there must be some
change of habits. How could such a change be made with-
out Rosamond’s concurrence? The immediate occasion of
opening the disagreeable fact to her was forced upon him.