Summary

Chapter 17 begins with Katherine and Lady Otway, her aunt, knitting together in the drawing room. Lady Otway notices how well-composed Katherine is and compares her to her own daughter, Cassandra, whom she believes is still too juvenile. Mrs. Hilbery enters the room and three women discuss marriage. Lady Otway remarks that when a woman marries she should submit to her husband, and Mrs. Hilbery remains quiet, watching a bird outside. Katherine decides that these older women seemed surprisingly content with very little happiness. Katherine asks to see her aunt’s engagement ring and decides that she could be a good wife to William Rodney. The chapter concludes with the three women preparing to go for a drive to Lincoln.

In Chapter 18, Ralph Denham and Mary Datchet are walking to Lincoln. While Mary thinks about how much she loves Ralph, Ralph tells her that...