Notes on Editorial Decisions, Vol. 3
Written by Steven Amarnick
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Volume 3 (Chapters 54-80) of The Duke’s Children
MS = Manuscript
FE = First Edition, Chapman & Hall
ATYR = All the Year Round
Though we refer repeatedly to what was printed in the FE, in most cases the same thing was printed earlier in ATYR.
Chapter 54
“He Must Be Made to Please Something Else.”
Trollope altered this sentence to save space, and must have disliked the shorter sentence as a chapter title. Hence he changed the title to “I Don’t Think She Is a Snake.” With the restored original sentence, we restore the original chapter title.
that it had been her intention to become his wife, if she could compass it
The word compass is a highly likely but not certain reading. See Chapter 45: “Nimrod I fancy got his game in any way that he could compass it.”
she had given all her love to a man whom she soon found that it would be impossible she should ever marry
We leave out that after impossible. This word was crossed out with a slightly curved line that is closer to straight than wavy, but could still be the latter. The sentence becomes more bulky with this extra that; we are glad to consider this an editing change on Trollope’s part.
promising to do his best to smooth the rough places
This has always been published with the, rather than his, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
He had done so, with too complete a readiness
Though a dropped out of the FE, this must have been an error.
saying of that American that “of course he loved her the best!”
The MS possibly says loved her best rather than loved the best. Because the compositor read the word as the, it was necessary to add her. If we were more certain of loved her best, we would print the sentence without the.
She had dreamed of a second love, which should not, however, obliterate the first
This has always been published without not (and with however cut for space)—an especially egregious compositor error. As the rest of the sentence makes clear, and as we know from elsewhere in the book, Mabel does not want to obliterate her love for Frank.
of something which might satisfy her aspirations for a home and a position
This could possibly be read as a name and a position instead, but home is far more likely because of both the h and the o.
and perhaps some of the young men might have envied him
Originally in the MS, Trollope wrote young lords; he could have changed lords to men to save two spaces before deciding to cut even more out of the sentence. However, the cut is probably a wavy one, as is the case with the unreadable word right before young.
“There is nothing I wish for Mary so much as that she should have a sister. And there is no one whom I would be so glad to hear her call by that name as yourself.”
The A in And is only slightly enlarged in the MS, and there is no period preceding it. Thus Trollope may have meant these two sentences to be joined as one. Had we joined them, we still would have had to amend the MS—the sentence would be too awkward without a comma before and. We have chosen to follow what the FE printed. Also, while there is possibly a comma in the MS before as yourself, this could also be a stray mark. We ignore the mark, as did the FE.
The ladies were all together in the drawing-room when Silverbridge came bursting in rather late.
MS: The three ladies, with three inserted after a wavy-line cross-out of They were all at the beginning of the sentence. Then three was cut with a straight line. There are actually four ladies; rather than make this change, we leave out the number altogether, and it is certainly not needed.
“To Cornwall!” said Miss Cassewary and Mrs. Finn together.
The MS uses a comma rather than an exclamation point, but given that the two women speak simultaneously, the exclamation point fits more smoothly. Because we believe there would be a reader stumble with the comma, we follow the FE in putting in the exclamation point instead.
“I don’t know anything about it,” said Silverbridge; “but as he has asked me to go I think I ought to do it.”
We use the MS semicolon rather than the FE comma after Silverbridge, since the punctuation ever so slightly affects the rhythm of the dialogue.
“I am so glad you are going to him,” she said in a little whisper.
Trollope originally continued the sentence, after whisper, with apart from the others, which he cut with a straight line. Either this was one of his rare straight-line revisions, unrelated to space, or he would have caught the repetition in proofs, since in the previous sentence he had already written that Mabel was able to have a few words apart with Silverbridge. We believe it makes more sense to inform the reader sooner rather than later that this conversation is private, and thus we keep the first mention of apart while omitting the second.
Chapter 55
the allegation in this respect may not improbably have been true
It appears that Trollope may have written unprobably. However, it is highly likely that he meant to write improbably—a much more common word.
Polwenning, the seat of Mr. Tregear, Frank’s father
This is spelled Polwhinny in the MS. We assume that there was something Trollope didn’t like about Polwhinny when he saw it in proofs. Perhaps he thought it sounded overly dismissive.
Since those days strange Conservatives had been brought down
The word strange was added, then cut with a straight line, while the previous sentence was cut, with and strangers had made themselves welcome added as a replacement. There is some temptation to leave out strange, as it sounds, well, a bit strange, but Trollope apparently did want to convey the sense of them being strange[rs].
“Well—yes; I suppose I may trust to you for as much as that.”
The dash is just visible under the straight-line cross-out.
“You who are a true Conservative are much more like to my father who is a Liberal than to your own who is on the same side as yourself.”
We follow, as always unless we think it is unfeasible or adds too much of a reader stumble, the MS punctuation—as does the FE in this case. Previous Oxford editions add commas: “You who are a true Conservative are much more like to my father, who is a Liberal, than to your own, who is on the same side as yourself.” Technically those commas are correct (Silverbridge has only one father, not a father who is a Liberal and a father who is something else). But the dialogue still sounds fine the way Trollope heard it—without the pauses.
then all distinction between boroughs and counties
In proofs, and counties fell out, but it is hard to see why. Trollope in the MS had moved the House of Lords immediately afterwards to right after boroughs and counties. The compositor must have erred and not seen and counties.
must go on right away to the logical conclusion of those arguments
The word those was cut with a straight line and replaced with the shorter its. We accept this as a space-saving change, though its is probably superior.
It is only the conservative feeling of the country which saves such men as your father
We follow the FE and previous Oxford editions in using lower case for conservative here, as Frank is not directly speaking about the Conservative party.
He was ready to do anything,—except, as he said at Polwenning, to make a speech.
We use He rather than Silverbridge at the beginning of the sentence. We believe Trollope had replaced He with Silverbridge, but only when he was planning to cut the beginning of this paragraph and save the rest, when he needed to substitute for the specific reference he provided with the future head of the Pallisers. You can see in the MS that the original strikeout ended with He, and that Trollope started a new one when he decided to cut the next two sentences also.
In the evening there was a great meeting at the Polpenno Assembly Room
Though this has always been published as Polwenning Assembly Room (following the MS, though Trollope wrote Polwhinny and did not capitalize Assembly Room), it is clearly Polpenno that he means to refer to.
but the portion of it which was apparently esteemed the most had direct reference to Mr. Carbottle.
Though the FE does put a comma after most, it is not in the MS. We now leave it out, after including it in the Folio and Everyman editions. The comma does not damage the sentence terribly, but it is certainly unnecessary; and if Trollope had it right we defer to him in this instance.
He addressed himself chiefly to that bane of the whole country,—as he conceived them,—the godless dissenters
We follow previous Oxford editions in putting a comma-dash, rather than just a dash, before as he conceived them. The comma is already in the MS; Trollope then added the dash and as he conceived them in the line above.
Mr. Williams was heard with impatience, and then there was a clamour for the young Lord.
MS: patience rather than impatience, and it is more than possible that the compositor erred. However, since impatience fits fine, we keep it.
He was the son of an ex-Prime Minister, and therefore of course he could speak. He was himself a member of Parliament, and therefore of course he could speak.
This is an example of Trollope’s purposeful use of repetition—and why it is sometimes a tricky proposition to decide that a repetition is an out-and-out mistake.
A son of a former Prime Minister who had already taken so strong a part in politics
We follow the FE in printing part, though Trollope wrote party and might well have meant it (party meaning position or side) and party gives a better meaning, since Silverbridge so far hasn’t even spoken in the House of Commons (see the next paragraph). Nonetheless, it is much more common to say that someone has taken a part than taken a party, so the change might have been a purposeful one.
The plea was so absurd, that he was thrust off his chair and onto his feet before he knew what he was about.
This comma is not in the MS and is not an improvement, but not enough of a problem to overturn the FE, whereas above in the chapter (but the portion of it which was apparently esteemed the most) the FE comma is more disruptive.
that they filled up a very long pause with continued clappings and such acclamations
This has always been published with exclamations, rather than acclamations, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The word such may be crossed out with a wavy line, but it’s a close call, and we feel that such improves the sentence slightly.
when Mrs. Tregear took them all into supper
MS: old Mrs. Tregear, but old is crossed out with a very heavy line. We consider this an editorial, not space-saving, change. Trollope has already characterized just about everything Tregear-related as old quite sufficiently.
It was, therefore, very soon decided that the rain should go for nothing.
Trollope wrote It was, however, very soon decided, cutting however, very with a straight line. But however is out of place here. Logically it ought to be therefore instead, since this sentence follows from the preceding instead of being in opposition to it. We printed however in the Folio edition, but changed it to therefore for Everyman. Since the change could be made easily enough, substituting one word for another without having to rewrite the sentence, we went ahead and did it.
it might be that they would gain something; so after breakfast they started with umbrellas
In the MS, gain a day was crossed out with a straight line and changed to gain something—a straight-line revision, since the replacement is longer than the original.
in which they are to be flattered by, instead of being the flatterers of, their superiors
The word of after flatterers is not in the MS but must be supplied.
till he comes to hate the poor creatures to whom he is forced to address himself, with a most cordial hatred
Trollope wrote unholy hatred in the MS, which is perhaps better than a most cordial hatred, but we accept the FE change.
through your shirt to your bones, while you hold your umbrella away from you, while you feel that you are breathing the steam
Trollope inserted and after your bones, and while so employed before you are breathing, but as a replacement for the cuts of while you hold your umbrella away from you, while you feel.
But the philosopher received the proposition with stern disdain.
We use the MS philosopher rather than the FE philosophers. Because the word comes up here and then five more times at the end of this chapter, and on all these occasions it
The Duke’s Children, Notes on Editorial Decisions, Volume 3 / Amarnick, last revised October 17, 2020
is plural in the FE, we assumed this had been done on purpose and printed philosophers for the Folio edition. For Everyman and now for Oxford, we consider that this change, though applied consistently, was an error. A few paragraphs above, Trollope described [s]ome guide, philosopher, and friend, and some philosopher. It is this same philosopher (singular) that is referred to later on.
Chapter 56
and who kept his eyes so sharply open to the pecuniary doings of the Carbottleites that Mr. Carbottle’s guides and friends
Trollope had correctly crossed out the comma after Carbottleites, yet for some reason it appears in the FE. We remove that comma, as it interferes with the clarity of the sentence.
Yes; there had been a great reaction, and he allowed himself to hope that every Salem and Zion and Ebenezer in his large parish would be closed,—forgetting probably that he would have had no seats in his own church to offer to this bulk of the parishioners who would thus have become converted to his religious views.
Trollope had cut for space everything after closed. In addition, there had been a great reaction, and he allowed himself to hope that was taken out in proofs, but we restore these words, as they fit with earlier restored words. Also, Trollope had inserted a dash after closed (with what is apparently a comma underneath, creating a comma-dash) but then presumably cut it with a wavy line when he made the rest of the cut, the waviness prompted by the fact that it’s hard to cut a straight line with another straight line. Another possibility is that he added the dash, then immediately changed his mind and got rid of it. But since that dash is quite characteristic, we put it in.
Church of England principles
Trollope might have hyphenated Church of England, though the marks are somewhat ambiguous. The compositor chose to follow what Trollope apparently did, but given that Church of England is capitalized, there is no mistaking that these three words together describe principles. Because we find the hyphens a bit distracting, and entirely unnecessary, we omit them.
“I am thoroughly attached to the Church” and “must show that he is in earnest about the Church of the State”
It is ambiguous whether Church is capitalized or not in the MS, but since just above we have Church of England, it makes sense that Frank is referring to the same thing.
said the proud mother, feeling that her rector took too much of the praise to himself
The word proud did not make it into the FE. It is legible but hard to read in the MS; could the compositor have had trouble deciphering it and thus left it out? Another possibility is that Trollope wrote grandmother and that this was changed in proofs to mother, as no
The Duke’s Children, Notes on Editorial Decisions, Volume 3 / Amarnick, last revised October 17, 2020
grandmother had previously been mentioned. However, there are two separate words in the MS, which would be grand and mother, and when Trollope writes grandmothers in Chapter 69, he clearly spells it as one word. And the taller first letter fits more consistently with Trollope’s other uses of proud than with grand.
“And yet I felt that I was hardly justified.”
it might just be possible to read this, under the cross-out, as it was hardly justified, which would perhaps be preferable. But Trollope does really seem to have written I.
another memorandum,—or rather two, one as to the slang
There is a semicolon-dash in the MS, which the compositor could easily have missed, given the way the insertion line almost covers up the period in the semicolon. However, as the comma-dash is fine, there is no reason to overturn the FE.
“I am a member of the British House of Commons.”
FE: “I am a member of the British House of Commons!” Trollope seems to have written I at the end of the line, then repeated it on the new line with I am. The compositor misread that first I as an exclamation point.
She must not imperil her favour with the Duke
This has always been published with impede, rather than imperil, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“It would have been better that he should not have written at all about my daughter.” The MS leaves out have before written, but we have supplied it.
“I think that any carrying of a message to Mary would be breaking confidence.”
Trollope originally wrote I think it would breaking confidence, with be mistakenly left out after would. He added the words any carrying of a message to Mary would be. Ordinarily, the addition of so many words after a sizable cut (everything after “What ought I to do?” asked Lady Mabel) would suggest a cutting replacement, but we don’t see that here.
Chapter 57
The Major, with more pluck than some had given him the credit of possessing, had carried on his operations
The commas are not in the MS; they’re not in the FE either, but also not as important, as the sentence is shorter there.
declared in very plain terms that all who rode with the “Major”
The MS, oddly, has a question mark between parentheses instead of quotation marks. We do need to put in something because of the restored passage about Tifto’s majority, and quotation marks seem most appropriate.
to be held at that well-known sporting little inn The Bobtailed Fox
and
that popular and well-known old sportsman Mr. Mahogany Topps
Trollope in the MS put commas after inn and sportsman. The FE removes both commas. There is a good case for the first comma being correct and the second comma being incorrect, but these are fine distinctions; it would look too odd to put in one comma and not the other. We defer to the FE, then, and leave out both commas.
Whatever might happen, he must show a spirit.
Trollope had added a paragraph break before this sentence, but this was to account for what would have been too sudden a jump with the cut of the previous sentence. With the restoration of that sentence, we leave out the break.
Mr. Jawstock was a gentleman very well known in the Runnymede country
Trollope mistakenly crossed out well rather than very in the MS. The sentence was printed correctly in the FE, with very cut for space.
He was a gentleman about forty-five years of age who was not much given to riding, who owned no coverts himself
We would have been glad to leave out gentleman here, given how frequently Trollope had used the word. But since this would have involved omitting who twice later in the sentence—both straight-line cuts—this would have involved too much tinkering.
but never letting his eye fall for a moment on the Major, Mr. Jawstock told the whole story
Trollope cut whole for space, so that the sentence read Mr. Jawstock told the story. This sounded slightly odd, leading presumably to the change in proofs to Mr. Jawstock told his story. With the restoration of whole, we include the...story as well.
When the matter was discussed afterwards it was thought that this little studied peroration might have been spared.
It is possible that Trollope wrote little-studied peroration with the hyphen obscured by the straight-line cut. However, there is no hyphen visible, and we think it likely that Trollope meant studied little peroration (which is what we wish he had written).
Then the Major got up, and certainly as far as attention went he had full justice done him. . . .
Within one paragraph, Tifto uses both ‘orse and horse. Trollope might have done this intentionally, to show how Tifto’s speech varies as he becomes more or less agitated. The FE allowed the inconsistency to stand, as do we. Also in this paragraph and elsewhere, there is again the likelihood that a number of Tifto’s ain’t’s were changed to aren’t’s by compositor error. There is another persistent compositor error nearby and throughout: resource instead of recourse.
However clamorous they might intend to be afterwards, that amount of fair play they were all determined to accord him.
This has always been published with afford, rather than accord, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Also, this useful comma after afterwards is in the MS but not the FE; we include the comma.
“But that ain’t of much consequences.”
This has always been published with consequence, rather than consequences, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. We can see how the compositor might have missed the final s, but it is there. Perhaps Trollope himself made the change to match with Tifto’s earlier use of consequence, not consequences, earlier in the paragraph. But we believe a compositor error is more likely.
“I suppose he dropped well on to eighty thousand pounds, and I don’t think he was best pleased.”
Though best pleased is highly likely, we are not certain of this reading.
Then Mr. Jawstock whispered something into the ear of the Chairman
Actually, Trollope cut into the ear for space and replaced it with to, yet the change was ignored in the FE and the original sentence was published. Either Trollope changed his mind for some reason or the compositor absent-mindedly ignored the cross-outs—most likely the latter, as there is nothing problematic about whispered something to the Chairman.
one or two of his adherents attempted to express some applause
This is an awkward phrase. Applause is a physical action, not an emotion or opinion; you can’t express it any more than you could express a jump. The OED, however, does include some senses of express that seem to fit here: press out; emit or exude as if by pressure; manifest by external signs.
When he was gone the real hubbub of the meeting commenced.
Though we prefer the MS version, with was before commenced, the word dropped out of the FE (and ATYR). There is not sufficient reason here to overturn the published versions.
Mr. Jawstock looked round the room trying to calculate what might be the effect of a show of hands.
There is no comma in the FE after room, and we don’t need to supply one; in context, there is a minimal threat of the reader stumbling into thinking that trying modifies room. There is no comma in the MS either.
Chapter 58
“Had you never any such idea yourself?”
We omit the MS comma before yourself.
“I do not know myself that we are warranted in troubling your lordship on the subject.”
We follow the MS and FE in not putting commas around myself, though they would be useful, as myself is not the object of know. Yet it’s unlikely that readers will stumble in reading the sentence without commas, and their absence allows us to not to pause for myself.
“Of course your lordship and me is two now;—but that don’t alter the facts.”
In the MS, there is no the between alter and facts; and alter facts does sound much more like what Tifto would say. The typesetter, not necessarily having a feel for Tifto's character, might well have put in the, and Trollope, not proofreading against his manuscript, didn't notice. Still, we feel that we do not have quite enough sufficient grounds to overturn the FE.
There was no bounce—barring that little allusion to the glory he would have
The word bounce is not certain, but it’s not clear what else the word could be. In The Way We Live Now, Trollope writes that Melmotte's supporters began the battle with an attempt at what the Liberals called 'bounce' to carry the borough with a rush by an overwhelming assertion of their candidate's virtues (Chapter 44). Also there's a slangy use of it to mean falsehood in the first chapter of Life of Cicero: " ‘Of course you know the art-criticism in the Times this year is Tully's doing?’ But that would probably be a bounce." Both of these citations date within a few years of The Duke’s Children.
But he did not think that he could write to his late partner any letter that would preserve those honours for him.
This has always been published with to him, rather than for him, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
Men who had a few weeks since been on very friendly terms
Originally, Trollope wrote Men who had at first been on friendly terms. He crossed this out with a straight line and replaced it with the words above. Possibly this was done to avoid repetition of first—especially as, with the cut, this word comes up sooner in the sentence. Probably, though, he found a few weeks since to be clearer than at first.
The difficulties at any rate were too many for poor Tifto
The sentence begins on a new page of the MS, with no indentation; the FE paragraph break is presumably an error.
standing for two hours in the cold on the little green before The Bobtailed Fox
Trollope added under his influence to the MS at the end of the sentence, but to replace the previously deleted words (after that day on which they had been kept standing for two hours in the cold on the little green before The Bobtailed Fox).
This second meeting might almost have been called select.
We restore the original paragraph break here, as it fits better now that the previous paragraph is several sentences longer.
and had written the letter only on the instructions of the meeting
The straight-line cross-out makes it impossible to see if instructions is plural, but we supply the s, as instruction of the meeting would mean that the meeting was instructed, not the opposite.
Chapter 59
Why should she have postponed her visit?
Trollope crossed out postponed and replaced it with prolonged, but the restoration of the previous paragraph makes postponed understandable.
As he stood before the fire, thinking how best he might do this
MS: his fire, and it’s quite possible that the compositor misread it. But there’s not enough justification to overturn the FE.
“I am sure Mr. Cassewary could spare you for another fortnight.”
As a cutting adjustment, Trollope had added to the MS the Duke said to his neighbor, alluding to a visit which she now intended to make. (Or, actually, Trollope mistakenly wrote that instead of said.) The MS also has he said crossed out with a wavy line. Given that in the previous sentence Trollope has made it clear who is speaking, there is no need to overturn the wavy line.
During the whole week he would be thrust together with Mabel, with whom he could now find no possible subject that would be common to both of them.
This sentence was deleted for space. We believe that if Trollope had seen it in proofs, he likely would have added together; thrust with is not common usage.
too fond of admiration, perhaps too old, unattractive in manner
It is possible that Trollope wrote manners; more likely, this is manner with a long final stroke on the r, similar to exquisite in manner later in the paragraph, which the compositor interpreted as singular. It is more likely that the Duke would meet girls lacking in charm rather than not knowing which fork to use.
Silverbridge at this moment was walking close to her side
MS: the moment, but the change in proofs to this might have been made to avoid repetition of Silverbridge at the moment a few lines down. Except if Trollope was going to bother, wouldn’t he have tried to do away with the entire phrase altogether and replace it with something else? Nevertheless, it’s an awkward repetition and we’re glad to print this rather than the. Also, Trollope wrote close at rather than close to. The compositor probably erred, but we don’t find sufficient reason to overrule the FE.
“But he spoke well?”
There is seemingly a period in the MS rather than a question mark, though the quotation marks are oddly curved. This sentence was cut for space, then added back to the MS (though without the original But).
when he perceived that nothing was to be said about Isabel Boncassen or his own freedom in the matter of love-making
There is a comma in the FE after Isabel Boncassen. We reject it because the now longer sentence would sound too choppy with this additional pause.
“I was not going to pronounce judgment against the poor wretch.”
Trollope cut wretch with a straight line and replaced it with devil. Since this was an “easy” change, we accept that it was done for space-saving reasons, even though Trollope saved only one character. The word wretch does come up twice near the end of the chapter, but it is hard to imagine that Trollope would have objected to a repetition so far away.
“I had to address him as Sir, and beg him not to write to me any more.”
We follow the MS and FE in capitalizing Sir rather than using quotation marks.
Men will face almost certain death, and then live as heroes for many after years.
It is possible that after years is hyphenated in the MS but that the hyphen is obscured by the straight-line cross-out. However, since there are plenty of examples of there being no hyphen between these two words (the OED cites Wordsworth early in the 19th century and Hardy early in the 20th century), we follow Trollope’s apparent spelling.
She had fought all that out with Miss Cass, who knew quite as much as did Frank Tregear.
The word out is especially worked over in the MS, and could possibly be a wavy-line deletion, but we restore it. Trollope did sometimes write over a word rather than cross it out and put the new word more clearly just above.
to her ear, to her feelings generally as this Duke’s young heir
MS: this young Duke’s heir. We follow the FE here. This quick fix to prevent the reader from taking young as modifying Duke does not quite work, because construing this with Duke is almost as bad. Trollope must have meant this young heir to a dukedom, but it would be too aggressive for us to change the sentence in this way.
Then she had all but succeeded. She might certainly have succeeded altogether had she been a little more prudent,—in some slight degree better acquainted with the game which she was playing.
We keep these as two separate sentences. In the FE, Trollope had joined them with and as a conjunction—but that is only after he had cut for space everything after prudent.
though the chances were small,—perchance she might tell it more effectively
This has always been published with effectually, rather than effectively, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“Some of it, I suppose.”
There is probably no comma in the MS, though perhaps there is a faint mark. Regardless, we include the comma to avoid a slight reader stumble.
“As for that, if one cared for extent of acres all around, one ought to go to Barsetshire.”
This has always been published with we cared, rather than one cared, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“You have got rid of Tifto and all those troubles very easily.”
MS: “You have got rid of Tifto and all those so easily!” The change in proofs makes the MS exclamation point less fitting, so we keep the period.
“because I did not then say that my heart was all yours, were you right to leave me?”
This has always been published with there, rather than then, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“I think he does,” said Silverbridge;—"but it can never be so.”
We keep the MS semicolon-dash (it was changed to a plain semicolon in the FE); however, we do not use the unconventional dash in the MS before said, which would look even odder with the semicolon-dash following so soon. The FE printed “I think he does,” said Silverbridge; “but it can never be so.”
“Do not say that to me! Do not kill me at once!”
These are unfeasible question marks in the MS; with sentences beginning with do, one can see easily enough why Trollope would have erred. We follow the FE in supplying exclamation points.
“Have you a right to treat me like that? When I tell you that you have all my heart?”
FE: “Have you a right to treat me like that;—when I tell you that you have all my heart?” Though this could have been a purposeful change on Trollope’s part, we stick with the MS version. Mabel is starting to cry, and it is fitting that she would speak in two shorter sentences here rather than one long one.
“You cannot look your father in the face and tell him that you will.”
This sentence was deleted in the published versions, but it’s hard to imagine why. Instead, most likely: because of the near repetition of sentence beginnings, the compositor lost his place.
“Come home, do you say?”
We follow the FE in using a question mark rather than the MS period. An exclamation point would have been fine too, but the tone sounds off with a mere period.
Chapter 60
In the first place it pained him greatly to think that she was unhappy, and that he had contributed anything to her unhappiness.
This was changed in proofs to In the first place he was unhappy to think that Mabel was unhappy. The use of Mabel instead of she was necessary because of the cut in the previous sentence. It is difficult, however, to understand why Trollope would prefer the repetition of unhappy to his original sentence. With the restored unhappiness at the end of the sentence, there is no question about returning to the original; otherwise the sentence would contain unhappy, unhappy, and unhappiness.
But perhaps he couldn’t do this without letting the governor know.
This has always been published (in the FE and previous Oxford editions; not ATYR) with you, rather than he, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The reference is to Moreton and what he can’t do—that is, act in this matter without letting the Duke know.
He spoke this morning as though I was treating him badly
MS: were treating. This change might well have been purposeful; was sounds more conversational here.
There was one thing as to which he was determined that it should not be done by him,—nor, if he could prevent it, by Gerald.
The FE moved the dash after determined instead, but Trollope’s meaning is clearer with his original punctuation.
In the midst of all these troubles he went down to dinner, and soon perceived that nothing had been told as yet.
There is a period after dinner in the MS, after the rest of the sentence was cut. That could have first been a comma, or not been there at all. We find a comma to be quite useful, to represent the time between Silverbridge going down to dinner and perceiving that nothing had been told.
She was standing close to the Duke and whispered a word into his ear.
Though the MS looks more like ears, we publish ear. In order for ears to make sense, Mabel would have to move from one ear to the other to whisper to him—something that is not occurring here.
and I don’t know anyone who has,—that is among our set
There could be the faintest comma in the MS; in a letter, a comma-dash, rather than a plain dash, makes more sense. The FE published a semicolon-dash.
And she smiled upon them all,—having courage enough to keep down all her sufferings.
We follow the FE in printing the comma-dash. Previous Oxford editions use a semicolon- dash—an unusual alteration, given that those editions follow the FE closely unless the FE punctuation is problematic. There is nothing wrong with the comma-dash here, and indeed it is preferable to a semicolon-dash.
Chapter 61
Lady Mabel had just been dismissed from the front door on her journey to Stogpinghum
Trollope cut way in the MS with what is probably a wavy line and put in journey instead, thus avoiding what would have been an awkward repetition of the former. In the previous sentence he had written to which he had led the way (which ended up being cut for space).
On that subject the Duke, without such authority, would not have interfered, even with his son.
The words even with his son were cut for space. It is unclear whether or not Trollope used a comma before these words, as the period could have covered over a comma that was already there. In any case, we find the comma useful and include it here.
that he believed that in consequence of the declaration which he had to make his comforts and pleasures would be curtailed or his independence diminished
The FE put in a comma after curtailed; we ignore it, as the sentence is clearer without it. We supply the missing words (his independence would be diminished) more readily without the comma. Had Trollope put this comma in his MS too, though, we would have left it in. Where a comma might have been useful: after make, but it is neither in the MS nor the FE.
“I am sorry for that,” he said; “very sorry.”
FE: “I am sorry for that,” said the Duke, almost hesitating; “very sorry.” Trollope cut he said with a wavy line, and this is a rare case where we have reinstated such a wavy-line cut. Clearly, said the Duke, almost hesitating was put in to replace the deleted words from the previous sentence: The Duke also hesitated for a few moments before he went on with his cross-examination.
“I understand all that.”
MS: “I remember all that.” We assume that this was done on purpose, but why? Perhaps remember makes Silverbridge sound slightly weaker, more boyish, than Trollope wants him to be at this point. On the other hand, the Duke had just used the word understand; perhaps the compositor, not concentrating sufficiently, typed the word again by mistake.
“I know no more of sheep and bulls than of the extinct animals of earlier ages.”
Trollope probably wrote sheep and hides, but the word is difficult to decipher. He surely did not write bulls in the MS, but there is no reason to overturn its place in the FE.
The Duke was standing with his hands behind his back, looking very black and unpropitious.
FE: The Duke was now standing, but now was clearly added at a later time (it is close to the right-hand edge of the MS page). We assume that Trollope put it in to replace the cuts, as otherwise the sentence would have read The Duke was looking very black.
“Should you be disposed to eat and drink in bestial excess, the laws would not hinder you!”
This was changed in proofs, with because added before the laws—but, oddly, the exclamation point was not changed to a question mark in the FE (previous Oxford editions do use a question mark). If Trollope himself made the change (which is doubtful), he misunderstood what he had done in the paragraph, as there are parallel sentences beginning with should that are not questions.
“You should so live as not to come near the law,—or to have the law come near to you.”
This has always been published with or to have the law to come near to you, rather than or to have the law come near to you, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
at once, in this very crisis of the conversation
This has always been published with new, rather than very, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The compositor must have been misled by the long tail of the g in strong on the line above; he didn’t realize that the tail of the y in very was not part of that g.
but there belonged to him a certain natural astuteness which told him that he must put in his rejoinder at this particular point
Trollope had cut for space in the conversation after particular point. We believe that Trollope would have deleted this anyhow had he seen the words in print, given the use of conversation a few lines above.
“She has——; well, she has said that she loves me”
Because of the semicolon (which implies the end of the sentence), we use the double dash.
“Of course I am very sorry if it makes you unhappy.”
In this restored sentence, the words Of course seem to be smeared in the MS, not cancelled with a wavy line.
“Can I not interest myself in human beings without wishing to make them flesh of my flesh, bone of my bone?”
MS: bone of my bones, and Genesis 2:23 (King James version) has bone of my bones. However, it’s singular in the FE, matching the singular of the chapter title (though it’s possible to read the chapter title in the MS as Bones). What clinches it, though: Trollope undoubtedly wrote the singular bone at the end of the chapter, in the final sentence.
He could not tell his father the whole story about Mabel,—that she had coyed her love, and that he had misunderstood her,—that he had been justified in thinking
This has always been published with coyed his love, rather than coyed her love, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The word could be read either way in the MS (her or his), but context dictates her. We printed his love for the Folio edition, but corrected it to her love for Everyman. Also, the second dash has a wavy-line cut, but only because you can’t cut a straight line with a straight line; that was a space-saving change.
who was beginning to feel that he was being subjected to tyranny
This has always been published with subjugated, rather than subjected, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. It is also possible that, with being cut from the sentence, Trollope preferred was subjugated to tyranny rather than was subjected to tyranny. Given all the other errors in this chapter, however, it is highly likely that the compositor erred here as well.
Lord Chiltern being the Master of the Brake Hounds
and
that it was his purpose to remain six weeks among the Brake hounds
We use upper case in the first instance because Trollope is referring to a more-or-less official title. The FE and previous Oxford editions use lower case for both.
then the racing,—ah, alas! yes
This is the way it appears in ATYR and previous Oxford editions. The FE has no punctuation at all (ah alas yes), which is too distracting. The MS has ah, alas, yes (though the comma could be a stray mark).
“Lord Chiltern is always troubling me about Trumpeton Wood.”
This has always been published as Trumpington Wood, which is indeed what Trollope wrote in the MS. However, he uses Trumpeton Wood in other novels, and because the change could be made with a simple substitution, we saw no reason to allow the inconsistency to stand.
and how far evil. At any rate, his tale had been told.
It is also possible to read this in the MS as and how far evil—at any rate, his tale had been told. But that would make for an especially long sentence, and in any case the period plus At is a more than feasible reading.
He could now tell Isabel so much, and thus free himself from any injurious suspicion
Trollope originally wrote He could at any rate tell Isabel so much; then he replaced at any rate with the shorter now; then he cut now too. Yet it would damage the paragraph to repeat at any rate when it was used right above, so we restore now instead.
but before he went he managed to see his sister alone
There is a crossed-out word beneath see, but not enough strokes for it to be meet, and it may well be a false start/wavy line anyhow.
but now all that was altered!
We use the MS exclamation point. It is not in the FE, but that decision may have been affected by the next sentence being cut: He was sure at any rate of this,—that he would alter it. Trollope might not have wanted the shortened paragraph to end with the additional emotion that an exclamation point brings to it; with the restored sentence, we can see the Duke considering what he has just declared to himself and recognizing that if the situation hasn’t yet been altered, he will go ahead and alter it.
how he might best enable them to live, with that personal dignity and splendour
Though Trollope almost surely did write personal, the p is unusual looking, so another word is possible. There is some temptation to cut it altogether, since personal is redundant, but we include it.
That the son who was to come after him should be worthy of the high place
There is an indecipherable phrase (and to ***** his *****) before should be worthy.
seemed to be made free by the very disgust which the vileness of the circumstances had produced
This has always been published with circumstance, rather than circumstances, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
Perhaps Tifto driving a nail into his horse’s foot had been a better colleague for him than some interfering young brother nobleman.
Trollope wrote brother young nobleman in the deleted sentence. We use the correct word order as we restore the sentence.
but even under that blow he had consoled himself by thinking that a conscientious, well- thinking, patriotic nobleman may serve his country
This has always been published with conservative, rather than conscientious, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. It is just possible to see how the compositor read the first six letters as conser rather than consci, but he must have stopped there as there is no doubt about the rest of the word.
In the midst of much of this he had felt that the surest recourse for his son against evil would be in an early marriage.
This has always been published with resource, rather than recourse, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Here is understandable if the compositor saw the word as resource, but in context recourse is clearly correct.
how devoid of other interests than that public service to which he had in his early youth devoted himself
FE: now devoid rather than how devoid, but this was fixed in previous Oxford editions. In many cases the FE carries over an error that was made in ATYR; in this case, however, ATYR published how.
Silverbridge should have it all, if he could so arrange it.
This has always been published without the word so in the sentence, but it is in the MS and the sentence is clearly superior with it. Given all the other errors in this chapter, it is safe to assume that the compositor erred.
thoughtless, reckless though they seemed to be
The MS has a comma after reckless, and the FE included it. But we feel that it creates a slight reader stumble, as we might briefly expect something more to complete the thought of though they seemed to be.
that lofty summit of ancestral nobility
Trollope probably wrote ancestory nobility, meaning to write ancestral nobility instead. It is also possible that he meant to write unceasing nobility but that it came out as unceasting nobility. One way or another, there is a spelling problem here.
He had liked to feel around him the free bustle of the House of Commons.
This has always been published with battle, rather than bustle, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
Chapter 62
“we were nearly right for a year or two”
Trollope apparently wrote all right first, but crossed out all with a wavy line and replaced it with nearly. There was some temptation to put in nearly all right, but it does look likely that the cancellation is wavy rather than merely cramped.
“My huntsman laughs at me when I ask him to draw it just for the appearance of the thing.”
Trollope meant for the sentence to end with an exclamation point when he cut out just for the appearance of the thing. However, the one he inserted was a bit odd looking and the compositor chose to put in a period instead.
After that the stranger was allowed to go to his own room.
The word stranger is somewhat awkward. But though the citations in the OED for this meaning (“guest or visitor”) are all earlier than the 19th century, they don’t flag it as archaic.
the lady, whose maiden name had been Palliser, being a cousin to Lord Silverbridge
MS: Trollope originally wrote a cousin of, but cut both a and of with a wavy line and added to. Then a was added in proofs. Perhaps with a returned to the text, so should of, but we follow the FE in printing to.
They were guests staying in the house, but on that day also a certain Mr. and Mrs. Spooner dined at Harrington.
Trollope used an extra-thick line to cancel this sentence, so we considered leaving it out. Ultimately, however, we felt that this was a regular space-saving cut.
with a red nose, very uxorious, and submissive in regard to all things but port-wine
This has always been published with vigorous, rather than uxorious, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
all whose exterior appanages seemed to be adapted to horse exercise
The word exterior is a likely but uncertain reading.
“Because you know this is Castle Nimrod in which no other subject is ever allowed”
It is possible that Trollope intended you know to be an interjection here, but he did not include commas and the sentence reads nicely without them.
“We had one blank last year, and I thought that he would never recover it.”
FE: “We had one blank day last year, and I that he would never recover it.” We assume that day was added in proofs after blank only because of the cut of the previous sentence, though it is also possible that Trollope felt the word helped clarify what Lady Chiltern is saying.
“I never go out myself now, because I hear so much of it all at home.”
This has always been published with have, not hear, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“But I fancy she does ride a good deal.”
MS: does ride very well, with very well cut with a straight line and replaced with the longer a good deal. It might have struck Trollope on rereading that riding a good deal (and so getting to know the country) would better justify Lady Chiltern’s thinking that Mrs. Spooner could replace Lord Chiltern as Master than just riding well.
“No;—that wasn’t it,” Mrs. Spooner was saying loudly as she entered.
This was changed in proofs to said Mrs. Spooner loudly, presumably because of the cut of as she entered.
Dick Rabbit was the first whip
MS: Rabbitt. It is hard to imagine why this would be changed, but given that Rabbitt appears seven times in the text and was printed as Rabbit, we follow the FE spelling.
There are matters so important, that the ordinary civilities of the world should not stand in their way.
This has always been published with These, rather than There, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The compositor reading of These is perfectly plausible, but in context There is the proper choice.
“Dick hurried them into the covert, and the old hound wouldn’t stick to her line when she found that no one believed her.”
Trollope crossed out covert with a straight line and changed it to gorse. Though it is possible that Trollope, in reading proofs, preferred gorse, we think it more likely that he was easily saving a space. And the repetition of gorse after Grobby Gorse reads less smoothly than covert. In addition, this has always been published with his line, rather than her line, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The old hound (Sappho, hence believed her), as Mrs. Spooner just told us above, tried to give a line down the bank but gave it up when Dick hurried them into the covert. While it is understandable that the compositor saw his, the word looks more like her—and her fits the context.
Then they all went in to dinner.
Then is not crossed out, but the rest of the words are deleted with a wavy line. Perhaps Trollope intended to rephrase the rest of the sentence about going in to dinner, but for some reason forgot to do so. Since it is hard to come up with a plausible explanation for why Trollope would cut this sentence (except to save space), we restore it. We would not have included it, however, if Then had been deleted with a wavy line too.
“and then spends the rest of his day riding about the country looking for the hounds”
Trollope inserted riding after crossing out something underneath. Though the cancellation appears to be more straight than wavy, the latter is possible too; besides, the only reading we could come up with is in searching, which fits awkwardly with looking later in the sentence.
“Another time always make for Brackett’s.”
“Another/always” sounds odd, but that seems to be what Trollope wrote, though there is slight uncertainty about another.
the delight of leaving a friend in a ditch
This has always been published with having, rather than leaving, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
the perils from extended population, the perils from encroaching railroads
This has always been published with increasing, rather than encroaching, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
the perils from literary ignoramuses, the perils from intruding cads
This has always been published with ignorances, rather than ignoramuses, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
The jaunty gentleman who puts on his one pair of breeches and his one pair of boots
MS after the straight-line cuts: The jaunty gentleman, who puts on his breeches and his boots. For the FE the sentence became The jaunty gentleman who puts on his dainty breeches and his pair of boots. We assume that, when he saw it in proofs, Trollope did not like the sentence and tinkered with it. The original sentence, though, with its repetition of one pair of, works nicely; we do not think Trollope would have added dainty had this been the sentence he saw.
made to think that his boots, and his breeches, and his horse, have been altogether thrown away
Trollope added in vain to the MS to replace the cut of altogether thrown away. The word not mistakenly appeared in the FE (but not ATYR) before been in vain. It was left out of previous Oxford editions.
Phineas Finn said that he was sure the Duke would look to it, if Silverbridge would mention it.
There is no telling for sure, but we believe that Trollope inserted Finn in 1876, rather than in 1878 as a shorter replacement for Phineas. In his five other appearances in this chapter, he’s Phineas Finn for four of them; the only time he is just Phineas is when Trollope identifies him as the speaker on page 482 of the OUP edition, where it would be more awkward to use his full name. It may have struck Trollope that just Phineas wasn’t quite right for a character so much in the background in The Duke’s Children.
The U.R.U. had lost their Master,—who had not been regarded as being very much in the way of a Master,—one Captain Glomax, and had been driven to the necessity of advertising for a successor.
This has always been published with A.R.U., not U.R.U., despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The full name of the club—the Ufford and Rufford United Hunt—is given in The American Senator and Ayala’s Angel. Also, Trollope cut for space the words between the comma-dashes. The remaining sentence reads fine, but was changed for the FE to The A.R.U. had lost their master. One Captain Glomax was going, and the county had been driven to the necessity of advertising for a successor. Note the lower-case master. Even within this one chapter, the FE is inconsistent on whether to make this word lower or upper case. We standardize it as upper case throughout the book.
“Who is Major Tifto?” asked Lord Chiltern.
There is what appears to be an MS comma before Tifto. Obviously it is not a comma— but an example of how there can be stray marks that look like real punctuation. It is also possible that Trollope lost concentration, and put the comma in as if there were direct address.
“But I don’t think a country would get on very well which appointed Fowler Master of Hounds.
This has always been published as county, rather than country, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
as to whom his wife declared that she had left him in bed when she came down to breakfast at nine
There is apparently a wavy-line cross-out before nine, of half and what presumably is past.
Five minutes were allowed him, during which his wife went up to his room.
This sentence was cut in proofs but is necessary; otherwise the sentence in the next paragraph about the lost ten minutes doesn’t fit.
were the first words he spoke as Lord Chiltern got on the box
MS: was the first word, so this was a valuable change in proofs. Unfortunately Trollope didn’t make a similar change later when “one word” is actually two words: “Mabel, good-bye,” at the end of Chapter 77.
unseasonable name
This has always been published with unreasonable, rather than unseasonable, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
Chapter 63
“Upon my word,” Silverbridge said to Lady Chiltern that evening
MS: he said, rather than Silverbridge said, but the change needs to be made; he is not identified at the beginning of the chapter.
worst comes to the worst
The modern variation is worse comes to the worst, but worst comes to the worst goes back further. It is also clearly what Trollope wrote here.
“After all, hunting is very good fun.”
We have added the comma so as to avoid the reader stumbling into all hunting.
“I wasn’t sorry, I can tell you, to hear ‘whoo-whoop.’ “
The verbalization of the “mort” hunting call given in the OED is whoo-whoop, with no three-syllable variants cited. Most likely, Trollope wrote who-ho-hoop, but we felt that was too odd to print.
always on the alert, always thinking of the business on hand
This has always been published as in hand, rather than on hand, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
as there is generally after a short burst, when fox, hounds, and horsemen get off together
This has always been published as spurt, rather than burst, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. There is a small blot over the word in the MS, but that should not have interfered with its readability.
There is too much bustle from steady business, and the pack becomes disconcerted.
We mistakenly published, in the Folio edition, too much bustle, particularly from steady business. Instead, it appears that Trollope wrote for steady, crossed it out with a thick, semi-wavy line, then changed his mind and added steady business, then (perhaps in 1878) realized he needed to add for; then he crossed out the whole phrase for space.
Runks had slunk away, but by making a little detour was now again ahead of the hounds.
Since the FE (not ATYR) this has always been published as distance, rather than detour, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
And unfortunately there were perhaps half-a-dozen with him.
The FE changed were to was, but we find it difficult to believe this was purposeful. ATYR printed were.
“Fowler was in a very bad humour, and Lord Chiltern was very wrath.”
There is some question about the first very, as it is crossed out with a thicker line. However, Trollope might have crossed out that first very for space before cutting the whole sentence, creating the thicker line. Though we would be justified in leaving out the first very, we keep it—especially because we think the repetition works well here.
“He’s back for Harrington bushes,” said Mrs. Spooner. “That’s his favourite.”
Favourite is cramped, and thus a likely but not entirely certain reading.
But almost before he could move he saw that Silverbridge was pressing on him.
We published turn rather than move in the Folio and Everyman editions. Trollope had crossed out move with a straight line, replacing it with turn, a word of equal length. But he used turn in the previous sentence, and the repetition sounds awkward. We now believe that the omission (for space) of almost influenced Trollope’s choice. The cut sentence would have read But before he could move he saw that Silverbridge was pressing on him. Trollope must have thought that was inaccurate; Tregear might be able to move a little but not turn. With almost in the sentence, Trollope is not saying that Tregear is absolutely motionless until Silverbridge was pressing on him.
It was thus his only recourse to do as Mrs. Spooner had done, and get out of the way.
This has always been published as resource, rather than recourse, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
The horse attempted to jump, caught his feet against the bar
This has always been published with foot, rather than feet, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Either foot or feet makes sense, but perhaps feet is preferable, as that would almost certainly cause horse and rider to fall head-foremost. A foot could have the same effect but there might still be the slight chance of recovery.
“No; he ain’t dead,” said Dick—“I’ve seen ’em like that before, and they wurn’t dead.”
It is ambiguous whether the dash (not a comma-dash) in the MS was purposeful or not; it is possibly a period that got out of hand. In any case, the FE published the dash, and we do too.
where that surgeon came who is always in attendance on a hunting field
This has always been published with when, rather than where, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
And then one of the animals had struck him on the cheek as he raised himself
Following ATYR and the FE, we published chest rather than cheek previously. However, Trollope did write cheek, and given the number of other errors the compositor made in this chapter, it is easy to believe that this is another one. In context, cheek works nicely: after all the serious injuries described in the previous sentence, Frank then has to suffer the added burden of being struck in the face.
“No, missis; he ain’t dead,” said Dick to Mrs. Tooby
This has always been published with aren’t, rather than ain’t, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. It is hard to believe that Trollope would make this change in proofs when he ain’t dead remains in the paragraph above.
“I must be making for the hounds.”
If must is correct, as we think it is, it’s an unusually drawn-out word, with the m and u written quite widely.
but forgiveness itself declares that wrong has been sustained
The t and d look likely, and the strokes suggest sustained, though the word is too difficult to decipher with certainty.
“You were a little too close,” Mrs. Spooner had said to him; “but nobody saw it and we’ll hold our tongues.”
We use the MS semicolon rather than the FE comma, Trollope’s semicolon indicating that Mrs. Spooner pauses a tiny bit more before suggesting that they should cover up what happened.
The two of them of course remained at Harrington.
Trollope crossed out of course before remained with a thick, somewhat jagged straight line. This could be read as a wavy cut, though it is also possible that Trollope’s pen was sputtering (see, for instance, ventured four lines below). We could justify going either way with of course. Trollope does repeat these words early in the next paragraph, but perhaps that is not quite close enough to argue that he would have cut the first of course to avoid repetition. What probably happened: Trollope cut of course for space, then decided to cut of them as well, crossing out of course again as he drew the line for of them. That would account for the extra thickness.
“When poor old Jack Stubbs drove his head into his cap and dislocated his wertibry of course, it was all up with him”
The FE puts the comma after wertibry instead of of course (though we reject the strange FE spelling of wertebury). That may be slightly preferable, but we don’t see enough of a reason to overturn Trollope’s dialogue punctuation here.
a message had been sent early on Monday to Polwenning to say that various bones had been broken
The words on Monday were cut in proofs, perhaps out of a misunderstanding about what the original passage had meant. As the first sentence in the paragraph indicates, it is now Tuesday; however, the message had been sent early on Monday, the day before.
“Is there anyone else?” asked Silverbridge when that letter was finished.
There is a dash in the MS before asked that we disregard. Trollope might have thought he needed a comma but didn’t want to put one in because of the question mark, so he quickly added the dash in instead. Also, this entire sentence was deleted in the FE, perhaps by mistake, as Your sister in the next sentence is an answer to Silverbridge’s question. There were cuts directly before and after these words, and the compositor might have careless. It is also possible that the extra space was needed in ATYR particularly. In any case, there is no doubt that the sentence belongs back in the book.
Chapter 64
Mrs. Finn looked at her with beseeching eyes, as though begging her not to speak of Tregear.
MS: Mr. Tregear. Trollope might have felt that the Mr. sounded too formal, given that Mrs. Finn is not speaking out loud here.
“I shall always hate Lady Cantrip, for of course it was her plan.”
This has always been published with place, rather than plan, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. It is possible to read the word as place, but in context plan is obviously correct.
“Hyperion to a satyr. Isn’t it true? Look on that picture and on this.”
MS: Isn’t that true, but the change to it in the FE is helpful in avoiding the word repetition. Trollope also originally had internal quotation marks around Hyperion to a satyr, but he cancelled them, perhaps to avoid making Mary sound too bookish. Her quotation from Hamlet (Look on that picture and on this) is slightly off (Look here upon this picture, and on this), but is something that Trollope might have done intentionally.
On the next morning Lady Mary received her letter.
FE: letters, but the MS singular is superior. The restoration of letters in the next sentence makes the use of the singular beforehand even more appropriate. Though Lady Mary does receive two letters, her letter refers to the one that Mrs. Finn had been thinking about.
There were two lying before her plate when Mary came in
FE: came into breakfast, with into instead of the correct in to and breakfast added to replace the cut.
“but I suppose everybody changes!”
The MS exclamation point is not ideal, but there is no sufficient reason to change it. The FE prints a period.
“Read it,” she said. “Why do you not read it?”
FE: “Read it; why do you not read it?” Trollope wrote in the MS, “Read it,” she said, “Why do you not read it?” The comma after said is awkward and might have caused the entire she said to be cut. We think the words are useful, however; otherwise, there is at least some chance that readers will wonder at first who is speaking, Mrs. Finn or Mary.
“It has been a very bad accident,” she said; “but it is quite clear that he is getting better.”
We use the MS semicolon rather than the FE comma. See Chapter 63, “You were a little too close,” Mrs. Spooner had said to him; “but nobody saw it and we’ll hold our tongues.”
and that no one would so thoroughly disapprove of such a step as Frank Tregear himself
MS: Frank Tregear itself, but Trollope obviously meant himself.
Lord Percival had declared that he did not understand having an I.O.U. tendered to him in an affair of that kind.
MS: after having an was cut for space, Trollope was left with he did not understand I.O.U., so I.O.U. was changed to a plural in proofs.
Silverbridge had explained that to him, and he had quite understood
Trollope apparently originally wrote Silverbridge told him that, though it is uncertain whether he actually wrote him. He crossed these words out with a straight line and replaced them with had explained that to him. Since told had been used in the previous sentence, explained is better; besides, the replacement words are longer than the cut. We do not think the cut later in the sentence of in making use of his father’s name and his brother’s security he had assented to this necessity affected Trollope’s decision in 1878 to use explained.
He, indeed, would be up at Oxford in February, and, in that case, the first horror of the thing would be left to poor Silverbridge!
Trollope had crossed out if this were done for space. For the FE, he added in that case where if this were done had been. Even with the other restored words in this paragraph, in that case is vastly superior, as if this were done suggests some more concrete activity than just merely showing up at Oxford.
persons who were not,—or hitherto had not been his own friends
FE: who were not,—or, hitherto had not been his own friends; previous Oxford editions: who were not,—or, hitherto had not been, his own friends. We go back to Trollope’s original punctuation here. Perhaps we should have been more creative; a better fix would have been to publish the sentence without the comma-dash before or. As for the MS comma after or that the FE published: Trollope had cut at any rate before hitherto with a wavy line, but forgot to cancel the first comma before at any rate.
Tregear was better; but was unhappy because it had been decided that he could not be moved for the next month.
Trollope first wrote Tregear was decidedly better before cutting decidedly with a straight line. We do not restore the word because of the repetition of decided in the sentence;
he must serve an apprenticeship before he could make himself conspicuous as a brilliant or even as a useful member
MS: Trollope deleted make himself and replaced it with be to save space, then he cut the entire passage.
“Something to tell me.”
We stick with the MS period rather than the FE question mark. The tone works, as if the Duke can only repeat Silverbridge’s words because he has to brace himself for what’s next.
Chapter 65
“Who were playing?”
ATYR: was, which sounds better. But there’s not a sufficient enough reason to ignore both the FE and MS.
No doubt he thought that as his son was at Oxford, admonitions in Latin would serve him better than in his native tongue.
This has always been published with commas around he thought. The compositor must have misunderstood the sentence when adding them; they are not in the MS.
“You desired to win? You were anxious to win?”
The first question mark could also be read as an exclamation point, but the question mark after win is clear-cut; and once that is made into a question, the other sentence should be a question too. The FE put a period at the end of the first sentence; the second sentence was cut for space.
“That the footpad on the road should have such desire when, with his pistol, he stops the traveller on his journey, we all understand.”
Trollope crossed out the road with a wavy line and replaced it with his journey. In doing so, his caret partially obscured the comma that had followed road and that is necessary; there is no way of reading the sentence aloud without pausing after journey.
“who looks to that recourse as an aid to his means”
This has always been published with resource, rather than recourse, despite what Trollope apparently wrote in the MS. Given Trollope’s other uses of recourse which became resource in the FE, we can assume compositor error here, though in this case the word reading is much more up for grabs.
“or his time in fostering him, or his mind in thinking of him”
The word fostering is likely but not certain.
“without which no man can live as a gentleman, let his rank be the highest known, let his wealth be as the sands, his fashion and popularity unrivalled?”
In the MS, Trollope had put can live as a gentleman at the end of the sentence.
He saw other young noblemen around him who at eighteen were known as debaters at their colleges, or at twenty-five were already deep in politics, social science, and educational projects.
Here is the longer MS sentence: He saw other young noblemen around him who at eighteen had been the prodigies of their schools, who at twenty-one were known as young debaters at their colleges, or at twenty-five were already deep in politics, social science, and education projects. Trollope might have disliked the reference to prodigies; the Duke is not asking for his sons to be out of the ordinary.
There was young Lord Buttercup, the son of the Earl of Woolantallow
MS: Lord Balamb. Trollope must have thought that the name Balamb was too artificial, though it is logically related to the father’s title in a way that Buttercup is not.
Conservative young Lord as he was
We capitalize Lord here because a specific person is referred to. Earlier in the paragraph, we use lower case for a junior lord because of the indefinite article.
to make them understand that their second duty required them to defend and fortify their own position
Trollope cut and fortify for space. He must have found to defend their own position too negative, as if the aristocracy were besieged by invading forces, and so in proofs he changed defend to maintain. With the return of fortify, defend fits more comfortably, as now the aristocracy can grow healthier.
nor even saying a word about the money which he at once promised to pay
We follow the MS here rather than the FE in not putting a comma after money, as in fact the Duke does not say . . . a word about the money at this moment.
“Didn’t I hear about it!”
Though this looks more like a question mark in the MS, the closed loop at the top gives grounds for pause. The exclamation point was used by both ATYR and the FE, and is clearly more suitable. We think it likely here that Trollope either intended an exclamation point from the start, or made sure there was an exclamation point when he read proofs.
Chapter 66
but, after his arrival, not a word was spoken for some days between him and his daughter on the subject
The second comma is not in the FE but is in the MS. It has been added to previous Oxford editions.
On the Sunday morning before church time,—or rather during church time, for on that day Lady Mary went to her devotions alone,—Mrs. Finn was closeted for an hour with the Duke in his study.
Trollope presumably included this first comma-dash, though it is not visible underneath the straight-line cross-out. The FE, following the MS, printed the second comma-dash, but even with the cut the first one is necessary. It has been added to previous Oxford editions.
The session of Parliament would commence on Friday the 11th of February
We have added the after Friday; it is not in the MS.
st He would go on Monday the 31 .
Trollope appears to have written the 30th, but that Monday would have to be the 31st instead.
It augured opposition on his part. But it declared at the same time that he would hear what was to be said to him without displeasure.
In the second deleted sentence, Trollope left out both it and time. We could have added only time and joined the two sentences with a comma and lower-case but after part, but since Trollope clearly did end the first sentence with part, we think it is less intrusive to add it. One way or another, it’s a safe bet that Trollope’s concentration in this paragraph was a bit short of 100%.
“You think that in the end Lady Mary will allow herself to be separated from Mr. Tregear.”
The word Mr. dropped out in proofs, but it’s hard to imagine why. Instead, we think it likely that the compositor mistakenly read this word in the MS as a wavy line.
Were he to tell the truth as to his own mind
MS: to was left out—further evidence that Trollope’s concentration in this section was not at his best, at least as regard to sentence accuracy. The word was added to the FE.
“I may be determined too,” said the Duke
MS: the sentence began with And. The word was cut in proofs, perhaps because the sentence that precedes it and the sentence that follows it both begin with But. Though Trollope had no problem starting a sentence with these conjunctions, he may have felt that three in a row was too much.
there was a certain awe mixed with her feelings in regard to him;—he had imbued her
The semicolon-dash is hard to decipher under the cut, but that is most likely what is there.
Now, when she had done, he was in no hurry to speak.
MS: he seemed to be in no hurry, with seemed to be seemingly crossed out with a wavy line—though that wavy line is less wavy than many in the MS. We considered restoring seemed to be, but ultimately we stuck with what has always been printed.
And as she had watched the workings of his face she had felt, from moment to moment, that the vials of his wrath were about to be poured out upon her.
The words from moment to moment were changed to the considerably less appropriate for the moment in proofs. In the MS Trollope had mistakenly put the first comma after from rather than before. Also, because he didn’t close the loop on the o, from could easily be misread. We believe that, as a result, the sentence was transcribed improperly; we restore the MS words, with the first comma now in its proper place.
But that picture of her face withered and worn after twenty years of sorrowing had had more effect upon his heart than his own rapid thought
This has always been published with wan, rather than worn, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Also, in the MS, than looks more like that, but in any case than is the correct word. The word rapid is a bit awkward, but it does appear likely that this is what Trollope wrote.
and was then very gracious to Mrs. Finn, and very tender to his daughter
We believe that while had then been was revised to was then, the line over the next word, very, was not a continuation of that wavy cancel, but a straight-line cut.
“Mr. Finn is like your Grace, I take it;—very full of politics at the present moment.”
The comma is not in the MS but we find the sentence a bit easier to read when it is included.
It had never seemed to him that she had disgraced herself by loving Tregear;—but that a great misfortune had fallen upon her
The semicolon is in the MS, but is missing from the FE—though, oddly, there is a space at the end of the line where that semicolon should be. That space suggests an error; we restore the MS punctuation.
and Gerald when he had allowed himself to be lured in to play for sums of money which he did not possess
Trollope most likely wrote lured on, though it is sometimes hard to say definitively whether Trollope writes on or in, given that he sometimes forgets to dot the i and to close the loop on the o. Given the ambiguity, and the fact that Trollope could well have chosen to change on to in had he seen the sentence in proofs, we choose lured in. Neither in nor on is idiomatic, but in is more palatable.
He would not have used such a word in reference to them; but such was his feeling.
We reject the awkward FE change to but it was his feeling. The compositor must have been thrown off by Trollope’s handwriting for such. It is certainly possible that Trollope decided to avoid the repetition of such, but we consider that unlikely, given how effective the repetition is.
Now, in the comparative solitude of his life, as years were coming on him
We keep the MS comma after Now, as the sentence is changed slightly by the restoration of comparative.
He allowed her now to lie for a minute on his shoulder while he pressed her to his heart.
MS: lay not lie. We believe that if Trollope had noticed the sentence in print he would have made the change to lie.
Much less could he now argue with her as to the impossibility of such a marriage
Trollope might well have written unpossibility, but we follow the FE in printing impossibility.
“Make the most one can of Mrs. Finn, because she has been very good to you.”
We would have preferred to print you can rather than one can, but even though one is not an absolutely certain reading, it is much more plausible, based on the handwriting, than you.
Chapter 67
“But of course one fancies that the very days when one is laid up will be the most important days of the year.”
Though the second one is not visible under the cut, it is presumably what Trollope wrote.
from no less important a person than Sir Timothy Beeswax himself
MS: originally no less an important person, with an a straight-line cross-out, and a inserted before person. Because no less an important person isn’t idiomatic English, we believe that Trollope made this change in 1878 to revise, rather than cut, the text.
“Take the goods the gods provide you, whencesoever they may come.”
There are too many strokes in the MS for wheresoever, and the meaning in this context has to be “no matter where they may come from,” so whencesoever is likely—not perhaps heard in everyday conversation but a perfectly good word, with a contemporary citation in the OED.
“Of course all those things which our ambition covets are easier to dukes’ sons than to others.”
Although we published these things in the Folio and Everyman editions, we now believe the compositor misread Trollope’s handwriting; we follow the MS in publishing those things. Since Trollope did not close the loop on the o, this misreading is understandable. Still, the word likes more like those than these, and those fits the context slightly better.
“Under usual circumstances, it certainly would be so.”
It’s hard to tell for sure under the cross-out whether Trollope included the comma, or whether that’s the end of the s; however, the former is much more likely. We’ve also just been told that the Duke is measuring his words, so a pause here seems fitting. Moreover, while so is difficult to decipher, it is most likely the correct word.
“Why, if we fail, ‘We fail!’ ”
The Duke is quoting exactly from Macbeth only with the second We fail. Since Lady Macbeth begins her sentence with We, we capitalize it.
“No doubt with your inexperience it would be unfit that you should be left entirely to yourself.”
MS: “No doubt. With your inexperience it would be unfit that you should be left entirely to yourself.” Unlike some other places in the novel where a removed or switched period in the FE hurt the text (see Chapter 77, “You would have recommended—delicacy, no doubt”), we believe that the passage sounds more fluid when No doubt joins with your inexperience. Thus we take this to be a purposeful editorial change.
“I should have to praise Sir Timothy?”
We keep the MS question mark. It is plausible that Silverbridge is genuinely unsure whether he would have to praise Sir Timothy, and thus the question mark fits.
“The same feeling reversed may keep you silent respecting Sir Timothy.”
This has always been published with policy, rather than feeling, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Though it is perhaps just possible to see how a compositor working quickly might have read the word as policy, he also might have been especially inattentive here, repeating a word he had just typed.
“I would not have you make any words that you may utter on such an occasion a thing of course.”
This sentence was omitted in proofs. Trollope had cut, for space, “That wouldn’t do at all.” It is likely that, without the cut sentence, Trollope felt it was awkward for the Duke to say I would not have you . . . That wouldn’t do at all seems to demand a response; with the cut, moving straight to I suppose you do agree is more appropriate.
“They will probably feel proud to see their young member brought forward on such an occasion. As I shall be proud to see my son.”
FE: “They will probably feel proud to see their young member brought forward on such an occasion; as I shall be proud to see my son.” In the MS, Trollope either changed as from lower case to upper case, or from upper case to lower case. It is easier to believe the former: that he started with a lower-case word, then wrote the capital letter over it, than it is to believe that he snuck the lower-case a underneath the capital a when he made the change.
“But not the less on that account do I wish to see you take an active and useful part on that side to which you have attached yourself.”
This has always been published with the side, rather than that side, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. There seems to be a blot over the word, rather than Trollope writing over the initial word to create the.
as though he were addressing some imaginary Speaker or a house of legislators around him
The word him dropped out of the FE. We can see why the compositor might have missed it, with the word on a separate line.
Of course after that the Duke had no further arguments to use in favour of Sir Timothy’s proposition.
In the MS, there is a line drawn merging this sentence with the previous paragraph. Presumably Trollope didn’t want the sentence to stand alone in a paragraph with the cut text. With the restored sentences, we now make this the beginning of a new paragraph, as was originally the case.
Chapter 68
And then how many hours would it have taken him to learn "the horrid thing" by heart?
This was changed to it would have taken him in the FE, but with no exclamation point at the end, which is awkward. Trollope left out the question mark in the MS, something he occasionally did. It is easier to believe that he intended the original sentence with a question mark added than that he preferred the revised sentence without an exclamation point added.
No doubt her letter down to him at Harrington,—if it could be called a letter,—had been very cold.
There do not appear to be comma-dashes, only commas, in the MS. But since this is the kind of sentence that would routinely get those dashes, we put them in—assuming they’d be there had the sentence survived the cuts.
All that could not have been forgotten so soon,—could not be altogether laid aside!
Though could is not certain, it is the most likely word given the rest that follows.
She had desired him to tell the whole affair to his father, and he had done so.
This has always been published with her, not his, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Either this was a misreading that Trollope failed to catch in proofs, or perhaps a mistaken correction by Trollope himself, hastily reading and misled by the preceding She.
“She is getting quite bookish,—is Isabel.”
It is impossible to tell if the dash is there under the cross-out, but it’s likely.
“If she’d have known I’m sure she’d’ve stayed.”
This is the most likely reading, but: Trollope evidently wrote she’d’ve have and spelled stayed as staid.
He had been so sudden that she had been unable, or at any rate thought that she had been unable, to repress him.
Though Trollope did cut or (at least a word we assume to be or, as it’s difficult to decipher), it is surprising that it did not appear in the FE, as the sentence reads awkwardly without it.
“That is all very well in its way, and I am not going to say but what I am gratified by your devotion.”
The comma may or may not be there in the MS—it is hard to tell—but we follow the FE in adding it.
“Not Lord!”
The MS comma between these two words would cause too much of a reader stumble. We follow the FE in omitting it.
“That would all come right very soon.”
The FE changes would to will, most likely to compensate for the omission of very soon. Also, it is better to avoid the repetition of will from the previous paragraph and the next paragraph.
“You would still be what you are,—with a clog round your leg, indeed, while at home,—but still, in Parliament, among your friends, at your clubs, you would be just what you are”
We add the second comma-dash, not just comma, to make the sentence more readable.
But he felt that at the present moment it would be impossible to sit still, and he dismissed the equipage.
Trollope originally wrote But he felt that at the present it would be impossible for a moment to sit still, and he dismissed the equipage. He cut for a moment with a straight line, and in the FE, moment was added after present. We believe the revised sentence is much superior to the original one, and so ultimately we consider this an editorial, not space-saving, change.
was a creature of efforts, or, as it might be called, a manufactured article
This could easily be read as creature of effects, but we believe the compositor got it right.
She strove to be graceful, to be lively, to be agreeable and clever.
This has always been published with lovely, rather than lively, despite what Trollope apparently wrote in the MS. He did not dot the i; still, the word looks more like an i than an o. And lively adds something to the sentence, whereas lovely pretty much repeats the thought of graceful.
there had always been present to him a feeling that she was—old
We follow the MS, rather than the FE, punctuation, because it is likely the compositor did not recognize the dash or thought it was a stray mark. Clearly, though, Trollope did insert this dash with a caret.
Though he knew her age to a day,—and knew her to be younger than himself,—yet she was old.
Though it is not in either the MS or FE, we supply the balancing dash after himself.
Chapter 69
A couple of days after the occurrences told in the last chapter, on a Sunday morning
We were tempted to add of after told, since you can’t “tell” an occurrence. However, that would have created an awkward combination of of, after, of, in. Changing told to a word like related would have been interfering too much. Given that Trollope’s error is fairly minor, we print the sentence as he wrote it.
and which was profusely ornamented with whips, foils, sticks, guns, and spurs
Instead of spurs, the word spears is possible as well.
“I suppose you are surprised to see me.”
This sentence has a period in the MS; the period was changed to a question mark in the FE. Could changes like this one have been made intentionally? In some cases, certainly, but it’s impossible to know when those cases are, so we will be consistent here in following Trollope’s MS punctuation—unless we have strong reason to believe otherwise.
“I didn’t think you were ever up so early.” It was at this time almost noon.
In the MS, there are dashes both before and after the second sentence, but we ignore them, as does the FE.
“I know I can trust you with a secret?”
The FE changed the question mark to a period, but Trollope’s punctuation is more suitable, as Dolly does not “know” for certain—another good example of how he was sometimes willing to let the question mark supply the tone when the words themselves might indicate otherwise. Also, Trollope originally wrote I think rather than I know, crossing out the former with a straight line. Even though know is shorter, we consider this an editorial decision, as Trollope had used think in the previous sentence.
“I can’t tell anything I don’t know.”
We use this Instead of the longer replacement, “A man can’t tell anything he doesn’t know.” With the restored sentences, Dolly addresses you directly, and so I rather than the generalized A man fits more smoothly.
That an oaf like that should dare to talk of loving Miss Boncassen was offensive to him.
This has always been published with owl, rather than oaf, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“Upon my word all this seems to me to be so very odd,—so very, I may say, distasteful that I think you had better say nothing more about it.”
In the FE, there’s a dash after the second very too. It’s highly likely that the compositor misread the cross-out of I may say as a dash, though as it happens it works just fine.
“Why do you tell me?”
There is an exclamation point in the MS, but that would be too distracting coming right after two questions.
“I dare say you won’t believe me, but I’ve got such a feeling about me here,”—as he said this he laid his hand upon his heart,—“that if I stayed here I should go in for hard drinking.”
The MS has a semicolon-dash before as he said. We instead use punctuation that is standard in both the FE and MS for sentences like this one—a comma before each dash. In the FE, there is a plain dash (no comma) first, then a comma-dash.
Silverbridge, when he was alone, walked about his room in anger with himself.
There are no commas in the MS. Had this been dialogue, we would have left the sentence alone, but for narration with crossed-out words we gave ourselves greater freedom. The meeting with Dolly has been unbearable; it makes sense to emphasize Silverbridge’s now being alone.
and then she would lean upon him
Before these words, Trollope added in proofs, to replace the cut: as he pictured the scene to himself in his imagination.
a divinity which had greatly grown in his conception since the scene in the drawing-room in Brook Street
This could certainly be read as at Brook Street too. However, we believe Trollope wrote in with a long upstroke on the n. This would explain why there is a dot and no apparent cross for a t.
Chapter 70
“Love May Be a Great Misfortune.”
In the chapter, the words my Lord come after love. In this case, we can understand why the chapter title would not match precisely the words used in context.
Nor was he made happy by meeting on this occasion his friend Mr. Lupton.
if there’s a real word before friend and not a false start, it is undecipherable.
Mr. Lupton was on the other side of Isabel, and soon seemed to be engaged with her in a pleasant, increasingly familiar conversation
Because he had deleted, for space, an earlier mention of Mr. Lupton’s presence, Trollope inserted there, on to the MS, so that the sentence became Mr. Lupton was there, on the other side of Isabel, and soon . . . In addition, increasingly is likely but not certain.
It is to the young conservative thoughtfulness and the truly British spirit
Though we capitalized Conservative in the Folio edition, we followed the FE (and MS) in using lower case for Everyman; and we keep it lower case for Oxford. Though Sir Timothy, as head of the Conservative party, might well be referring to the thoughtfulness of those in his party, he may also be referring to the conservative principles that are crucial for Conservative politicians—and which are opposed to the communistic propensities he mentions.
“Of course it is too late now to say anything further about the address.”
The word too was dropped from the FE. In many other cases where individual words disappear from the FE, we can see a justification, if only in terms of sentence rhythm. It is difficult to imagine in this case, though, what Trollope could have thought he was gaining by dropping too. Does the fact that too is at the end of the line make it somewhat more likely that the compositor could have missed it as he moved over to the next line? Regardless, we believe that the omission of the word had to be an error.
“and I need hardly say on the other, whom I would go further to oblige than your father’s son”
This has always been published with farther, rather than further, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS—a misreading that occurs more than once.
But the worst of it all is that vacillating unsteady mind which does not know when to take its owner off.
In the FE, unsteady was removed, but we restore it. Trollope might have thought unsteady would be perplexing without the long description of why people would be unsteady.
When Silverbridge looked round, Isabel also was gone.
MS: How it happened he did not see at the moment; but, when he looked for her, Isabel also was gone. Perhaps Trollope realized that the original sentence was redundant, as it is already clear in the shorter sentence that Silverbridge did not see what happened.
“What am I to say, sir?”
There is a semicolon instead of a comma in the MS.
“But, my boy, I have told you that I do not know how it might be.”
The MS has what appears to be a comma after know (though it could also be a stray mark), but that is unfeasible.
“Of all whom you know, who could best tell me the truth on such a subject?”
There is no comma in the MS, but that creates a reader stumble.
“He must know, and, happily, he seemed to have taken no dislike to the girl herself.”
There is no comma after happily in the MS. However, this word replaces a phrase that was cut with a wavy line, and there does seem to be a comma there. Indeed, with the comma after and, the comma after happily belongs.
Chapter 71
When Lord Silverbridge left Mr. Boncassen’s house after his lunch banquet on Sunday afternoon
It is possible that lunch banquet is hyphenated in the MS, but hard to tell for sure. However, given that morning banquets does not seem to be hyphenated in Chapter 28 (though we can’t tell for sure because of the straight-line cut), we leave out the hyphen here too.
that as a married man he would not think of race-horses, that he would desert the Beargarden, that he would learn blue-books by heart
Trollope did not cut any of these words in the MS, but for the FE, this became He would not think of race-horses, he would desert the Beargarden, he would learn blue-books by heart. That’s because he had cut for space, earlier in the sentence, that it was everything to him; that, having, replacing it with a new sentence beginning with When once. The new sentence structure necessitated the removal of as a married man and other minor adjustments.
The world at the time was altogether busy with political rumours
FE: at this time. Either the compositor erred or Trollope made a cutting adjustment, as this time perhaps more than the time introduces a time that, because of those cuts, he had not yet described in detail.
and Sir Timothy had, during a considerable part of the last session, and through the whole vacation, so belauded each other in all their public expressions that it was quite manifest that they had quarreled.
FE puts commas both before and after had that are not in the MS; we remove the first one. Also, because the compositor misread belauded as belarded, the sentence had to be changed: from belauded each other in all their public expressions to belarded each other with praise in all their public expressions.
and men, clubs, and newspapers now predicted that as a natural consequence there would soon be a break-up
This has always been published with protested, rather than predicted, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. It is unlikely that too many newspapers would protest the break-up, but they certainly would predict what was about to happen.
If he can give and take and be not thin-skinned or sore-boned
ATYR left out or sore-boned, while the FE (and previous Oxford editions) published or sore-bored, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
A party has to be managed, and he who can manage it best, will probably be its best Leader.
The comma after best is not ideal, but it is in the MS and FE and not problematic enough to delete. In the Folio and Everyman editions, we used lower-case leader; now we change it to upper case, to be consistent with the use of Leader at the end of this same paragraph. Though a case could be made for the first Leader to remain lower case, there is sufficient case to capitalize it too—and we think it preferable that the reader not get distracted trying to figure out why one is lower case and the other one is upper case.
and empty benches for his opponents,—could foresee a thousand little things to which even a Walpole would have been blind
The FE comma-dash would probably be better as a semicolon-dash, but there is no pressing need to make the change.
The Duke was absent from Sunday the 6th till the morning of Friday the 11th
In the MS Trollope added a number of details to this sentence to make up for cuts earlier in the chapter.
Silverbridge too was of course going to the House on that day and was not without his own political anxieties.
The word too was left out of the FE, presumably by mistake. There is a blot over the second o in too and the compositor might have read that as a cut.
“Two hours after I had written my refusal he had the offer brought to him in my presence. That was droll.”
There are quotation marks after presence in the MS. Most likely, Trollope originally ended Silverbridge’s speech there, then added That was droll, forgetting to cross out the quotation marks. Another possibility is that what we take to be quotation marks is just an odd-looking exclamation point.
“I should have asked you to go to him, but when I inquired for you, you had left town.”
Trollope had inserted, above the original MS line, when I asked for you, then crossed it out and written when I asked for you underneath the original line; then he crossed out everything as he cut for space. He must have seen that the repetition of asked would have been awkward here.
Silverbridge looked up into his father’s face with beseeching, imploring eyes as though everything now depended on the next few words that he might utter.
The comma after beseeching is in the MS but left out of the FE (and previous Oxford editions); ATYR includes it, as well as an additional comma after eyes. It’s hard to imagine the justification for rushing the reader through the sentence, and so we at least restore the original comma. The MS and FE have few next words; we follow previous Oxford editions in publishing next few words.
“I shall think it an unfortunate marriage“ (twice).
We prefer the shorter unwise; however, there is not sufficient reason to believe that the change from unfortunate to unwise was anything other than a typical space-saving change. In any case, it is not this word that matters to Silverbridge; rather, it is the tense that the Duke uses, “I shall think. . .” In the very next sentence, Trollope spells this out: “His father had spoken of the marriage as a thing that was to happen, a thing which, not might be, but which was in the future.” Though the word unkind is gentler than unfortunate, it may well be that the latter fits more comfortably with the word the Duke uses in the next paragraph: distasteful.
“Oh, sir.”
MS: “Oh. Sir.” But that struck us as a bit too strange; we follow the FE instead.
“Whether I may be wrong or right I think it to be for the good of our country”
There is no may in the MS. There are plenty of examples of Trollope’s using the subjunctive without an auxiliary verb in similar contexts. It is possible, though, in this case that Trollope liked the sound of the sentence better with may added; it changes the way the repetition of be sounds—we think for the better.
“That is a very strong word.”
The word strong is not certain under the cut, but is most likely what Trollope wrote. It is possible that the sentence should be “That is a—a very strong word.” However, there is relatively little space for the dash; we think instead that Trollope mistakenly wrote the word twice.
“I am so glad!” shouted Silverbridge.
Because the word shouted is likely but not certain, we were tempted to leave out the attribution altogether, as it seems questionable whether Silverbridge would shout in this situation. The exclamation point is not in the MS, but if Silverbridge does indeed shout here, we have to supply it. And the shouting is certainly possible: Silverbridge can barely contain himself at this moment.
The idea of rejecting Isabel!
The exclamation point is in the MS, and ATYR as well, but missing in the FE. We follow recent Oxford editions in including it too.
“What would you think of it yourself?”
For this restored sentence we leave out the awkward MS comma before yourself.
And yet now he had to undergo rebuke, to undergo deserved rebuke from his own son
The word deserved was cut in proofs, which makes sense given the MS cut of the first rebuke in the sentence. First the Duke thinks of that rebuke; then, in his attempts to be fair, he recognizes that this is deserved rebuke.
and at last so occupied with the whole matter that he found himself compelled to sit in his place till he had heard Nidderdale make his speech
Originally, Trollope wrote heard Nidderdale second the address. Trollope crossed out the three last words and replaced them with the shorter make his speech. The cancellation of second appears to have been made with a wavy line, but the line over the address appears to be straight. Because Trollope uses address twice elsewhere in the paragraph, we think it likely that he wanted to avoid the repetition here, and so we consider this to be a regular revision rather than space-saving change.
At seven the sitting was over, the speeches, though full of interest, having been shorter than usual.
Though Trollope did not, in the MS, merge this sentence into the previous paragraph after he made his cuts, he might have changed his mind later. With all the sentences restored, it is evident that the MS paragraph break here should be restored too.
Within the last three minutes Mrs. Montacute Jones had called and carried Isabel off to the play. Mrs. Jones was up in town for a week and this had been a very old engagement.
In the MS, the first Montacute (actually Montgomery) was cut for space; the second was changed from Montgomery to Montacute and left in. We follow what was printed in the FE, with Mrs. Montacute Jones first referred to by her longer name, then by her shorter one.
“You know, perhaps, that I have seen the Duke.”
There is no MS comma before perhaps, but we supply it, as does the FE.
while Mrs. Boncassen bursting into tears insisted on kissing his forehead
We would prefer to add the MS commas around bursting into tears, but we do not think there is sufficient reason to overrule the FE.
Chapter 72
Isabel was not above her future furniture
MS: Isabel at any rate was not above her future, with at any rate crossed out with a straight line. Trollope might well have initially cut these words to save space. However, we think he would have cut them regardless if he had noticed them in proofs, as he just used at any rate in the previous sentence.
and was now prepared to make her visit with as much enthusiasm as though her future abode was to be prepared for her
The repetition of prepared here is awkward. However, because Trollope did not notice the problem, and it’s been printed this way since ATYR, we leave the sentence as is.
Isabel, in the ordinary way of society, had already known him with quite as close an intimacy as will generally take place between a host and one of his younger guests
While we are nearly certain of younger, there is an indecipherable word it is paired with: between a host and one of his ***** and younger guests.
Had it been Gerald who was bringing to him a bride, the occasion would have had less of awe.
MS: the occasion would have had it less of awe. Trollope in the FE could have chosen to add in before it, but instead it was deleted.
“No,” he said boldly, “no; there is no such person.”
In considering punctuation outside the dialogue still part of the rhythm of that dialogue, we now follow the MS in putting a comma after boldly, though we used the FE semicolon for Folio and Everyman.
The visit at last was made not quite in the fashion which Silverbridge himself had wished.
Trollope wrote in the fashion in which. The extra in made it into the published versions, including previous Oxford editions. However, the word clearly doesn’t fit; and it’s credible to believe that he would have been more likely to notice the extra word if the sentence were its original length (as at last was cut for space). That is, in a bulkier sentence, Trollope would be more alert to an extra word that didn’t belong. Hence, we remove the extra in.
“Now you are as good as gold,—and do everything just as I tell you.”
Trollope had originally written And at the beginning of the sentence, but crossed it out and replaced it with Now, which the compositor mistakenly added to the end of the previous sentence instead. Now usefully shows the difference between the present time and the fast-arriving future—even though it is unlikely that either Isabel or Silverbridge contemplate a time when she will obey everything he says.
And yet he knew that with bad dukes his country would be in worse stress than though she had none at all.
Following the FE, we accept stress, even though Trollope presumably intended to write straits.
yes; but an aristocracy that shall be of the very best!
Trollope wrote should and replaced it with the shorter shall. However, he did so with what appears to be a wavy line, so we keep shall.
He believed himself thoroughly in his order
The FE added himself, which is not an improvement, but there’s not enough cause to reject the change.
then he thought that his order not only must go to the wall but that, in the cause of humanity, it had better do so
The MS and FE commas around he thought are unfeasible; we remove them. Another solution would be to keep the commas and omit that, but such a change, involving words rather than punctuation, would be more intrusive. This emendation is not perfect, however, as without the commas then tends to be construed with thought and understood temporally, whereas actually it goes with the earlier if and means consequentially.
With all this daily, hourly, always in his mind, this matter of the choice of a wife for his heir was to him of solemn importance
FE: in the choice, which could have been done on purpose to avoid repeating of. We are more inclined, though, to believe the change was an error, as this matter of the choice is more idiomatic than this matter in the choice.
When they arrived Silverbridge was there to help them out of the carriage, and led them first of all into the dining-room.
With the restoration of to help them out of the carriage, the MS comma is especially useful.
“And so, my dear, you are to be my child.”
We follow the FE punctuation here; the MS punctuation (And, so my dear) is too distracting.
When she was told that he had another collection of knick-knacks at Matching
The MS and FE have quotation marks around knick-knacks, even though the word was already used just above with no quotation marks. Though we included the quotation marks in the Folio edition, we took them out for Everyman. Either there should be quotation marks both times around the word, or possibly just the first time, but not the second time only. The Trollope Society edition leaves out the quotation marks, though Penguin and previous Oxford editions keep them in.
“Or any unhappier,” said Isabel, “if we only remember that a house is no more than a house.”
This sentence, though not cut in the MS, was left out of ATYR, possibly for space reasons. It was not added back for the FE. It is possible that Trollope felt it was confusing for Isabel to downplay the importance of a house in the same chapter where she seems to make such a big deal of it. On the other hand, Silverbridge’s remark that follows, about how Gatherum does make me unhappy, fits more smoothly coming after Isabel’s remarks—especially since the you now refers to Isabel, who certainly will see Gatherum soon, as opposed to Mrs. Boncassen. We left the sentence out of the Folio edition but then reconsidered; it is in Everyman and now Oxford.
“There is something in that I suppose.”
We follow the MS for this restored sentence, though we were tempted to add a comma before I suppose. Ultimately, though, we doubt there is much chance of a reader misconstruing the syntax by taking in that I suppose as a unit.
And when we are settled down in the real Darby and Joan way I shall hope to see Mr. Longstaffe very often.
Trollope did not hyphenate Darby and Joan, but the FE did. We follow Trollope here; because the words are capitalized, there is no need to show with hyphens that together they describe way.
Chapter 73
that one so staunch as I may be thrown aside as unnecessary
Trollope crossed out as unnecessary with a straight line. Then, for the FE, thrown aside was changed to thrown over. The word aside appears again two sentences later, so it is possible that Trollope was looking to avoid the repetition. It’s a close call, but we believe that with the restoration of as unnecessary, aside fits more smoothly. To put something aside as unnecessary is in some ways more insulting; Mabel in this formulation is not a force to be thrown over, but a negligible being put aside to later be forgotten.
But an interview at the present moment could hardly be other than painful.
This has always been published with the interview, rather than an interview. The word is worked over in the MS and difficult to decipher, but surely an fits more comfortably.
“I cannot tell; but mine is,—no, not clear”
We assume there is, or is supposed to be, a comma underneath the straight-line cross- out after no.
“That girl has determined to get me, and she has not scrupled as to how she would do it”
The internal quotation marks may or may not be there in the MS (more likely the former, but it’s difficult to tell for sure), but they are useful.
She had not understood him;—or, understanding, had not accepted his words
The comma after or is in the MS but left out of the FE; it is valuable for clarity. Previous Oxford editions have included this comma.
Then he scowled at her because by that latter word she alluded to Isabel.
This could easily be read as Here he scowled instead. In context, though, we believe Then is more likely.
“I shall not do that,” said he.
We ignore the FE frowning at her afterward; we believe it is a replacement for the cut of the scowling in the previous paragraph.
“You need trouble yourself with no assurances, my friend.”
This has always been published with assurance, rather than assurances, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“then I was still to think that it was all to go for nothing”
It is also possible that Trollope wrote able rather than still. However, if we compare Trollope’s handwriting elsewhere in this chapter, on MS pages 964 and 969, his still is reasonably similar to the current still, with the word meaning nonetheless in the current context.
“have many voices, and each as clear as the others”
The first as could also be read as is. But then the sentence would sound awkward without as added after, to make it each is as clear as the others.
“but I have a doubt. I should have liked to be Duchess of Omnium”
FE: “but I have a doubt I should have liked to be Duchess of Omnium.” In this case, the compositor missed the period after doubt that is clearly in the MS. The omission of that period entirely changes the meaning. Mabel is saying that she would have wanted to be Duchess of Omnium, not that she had doubts about wanting that role.
“with a devotion which no woman who does love you will perhaps think necessary”
Trollope cut perhaps with a straight line but left the rest intact. In the FE, however, this was published: with a devotion which a woman who does love hardly thinks necessary. We assume that, when Trollope read the sentence without perhaps, he was uncomfortable; hence he changed it to bring in hardly.
“There are clinging, parasite things which cannot but adhere”
In the FE, There is changed to They. What probably happened is that There sounded awkward without the following deleted sentence: "I have been such a thing." It would have seemed less disruptive, then, to connect They to women from the previous sentence (“So is a woman born—a woman”). With the later sentence restored, however, we should have no hesitation about restoring There as well.
“still I want some man’s house, and his money, and his carriages”
This has always been published with name, rather than money, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Trollope apparently first wrote income, then crossed it out with a wavy line and replaced it with money.
“You will see perhaps now, my friend, that I was not altogether indifferent to your position as an eldest son.”
In this sentence, which was cut for space, Trollope had an awkward comma before perhaps.
“I know—that I can trust you.”
In the MS, Trollope apparently wrote “I knew;—I know that I can trust you,” though it is hard to distinguish between knew or know in both cases. We prefer the original sentence, but we do not have enough justification to overrule the FE change to “I know—that I can trust you.”
“I shall not see you again now before you are married, but come to me afterwards sometimes. I dare say she and I may become friends.”
We correct here our previous misreading (Folio, Everyman) of this passage, which was “I shall not see you again now before you are married, but come to me afterward. Sometime, I dare say she and I may become friends.”
Chapter 74
What a terrible story was this that he had heard!
FE: this dropped out, presumably an error. Is it possible that the compositor saw this that together and assumed an error?
had seemed to him to stand above all other girls in beauty, charm, and popularity
The word before popularity, which is general, is crossed out with a straight line in the MS. Had this word appeared in proofs, it is unlikely that Trollope would have kept it along with the other general that appears nearby. We keep the general that has always been printed before prosperity, and leave out the one before popularity.
“Poor Lady Mabel Grex!”
The word Poor is somewhat hard to decipher, but given the context we believe this is what Trollope wrote.
“Yes, I have seen your sister,—for a moment.”
The repetition of for a moment is somewhat awkward, as Frank has previously said “Well;—if you’ll allow me I’ll go back with you for a moment.” It is certainly possible that if Trollope had seen both usages in proofs he would have made some kind of change; however, the second for a moment—which he had originally inserted into the MS with a caret—was cut with a straight line for space. We believe the second for a moment is valuable, as it conveys Frank’s continued sense of grievance (he was allowed to see Mary, but barely). We also think it would be too aggressive to take out the earlier for a moment, especially since that conveys something as well—that Frank doesn’t plan to hang out with Silverbridge for long.
“I am nearly all right;—and if I had been nearly all wrong I should have had to come.”
The word and was cut in the MS with a line that could be wavy but more likely is straight. Trollope cut the dash with a jagged line (so as to make the cut visible), but the line is considerably less jagged when it gets to and.
“You don’t mean to say that it is arranged?”
In the MS, that is crossed out with a straight line, but it shows up in the FE anyway.
“He told me that we should have nothing to live on unless he gave us an income, and that I had no right to expect him to give me anything.”
In the MS, Trollope crossed out a word (almost surely me) after gave with a thick, seemingly wavy line, and changed it to us, which could argue for doing the same later in the sentence, with the restored words, to make the pronouns consistent. But it also makes sense that Frank would go back and forth with the pronouns at this stage. Given that Trollope indeed wrote give me anything, we thought it would be too aggressive to print give us anything.
“Oh dear no;—nor even that he meant to give her anything further than I have told you
There is an unfeasible semicolon before further in the MS. This was probably added after the cut; however, a period has always been printed after anything.
“Nor when he makes any proposition shall I think of having any opinion of my own.”
MS: an opinion, so the change to any is quite possibly an error. However, Trollope might have liked the sound of the word repetition in this case, so perhaps the change was purposeful.
“My chief object, as regards him, is that he should not think that I have been looking after her money.”
MS: his money, but we think it possible that the change was made on purpose in proofs. Previously Frank has referred to her money—most notably in Chapter 50, when he writes to the Duke—and this may be a more natural way of describing the situation (her money meaning not the money Mary has now, but the money it’s natural to expect to go with her at her marriage). On the other hand, the focus in this sentence is on the Duke (“as regards him, he should not think”), so the focus on his money may fit better. Ultimately, it’s a close enough call that we print what the FE did.
“I thought he was still down at Lord Chiltern’s.”
This was cut in proofs, but we put it back in, as it fits with the other restored passages, with the Duke going on to say that he wishes Frank were still down there.
“Oh, sir!”
The MS period is too distracting; we print a comma instead.
“I wish that he had never been here.”
FE: “I wish that he had never seen her.” Assuming that Trollope made the change on purpose, we still print his MS sentence; we think he would have left the sentence alone if he had not made other cuts, as been here makes sense of the better here of the previous sentence.
“I hope so. I do believe it.”
It is possible that I hope so replaces the entire cut of “I do hope it. I do believe it.” But I do hope it most likely is cut with a wavy line, though there’s some ambiguity about that. Trollope probably did not like the way the repetition of do . . . it sounded and thus redid the first sentence.
“A man does not I suppose allow himself to love without any consideration of propriety.”
This has always been published with or purpose rather than of propriety, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Also, there is a blot over the su in suppose. However, the straight-line cross-out of I suppose is clear enough; we assume the blot is a leaky pen and not a substitute for a wavy-line revision.
“How many men, sir——”
FE: “How many men, sir, do neither?” We leave out the FE do neither, which was likely put in only after the cut of the previous sentence.
no romantic idea which time and other scenes might banish
FE: no romantic love which time might banish. Trollope cut and other scenes for space in the MS. Without these other scenes (presumably referring to the long periods of travel that he thought would make Mary forget Frank), he might have felt that time alone was not enough to make an idea vanish. Hence the change in the FE.
“I’ll tell you what it is, Mary.”
This has always been published with I tell, rather than I’ll tell, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. I’ll tell sounds more natural; this must have been a compositor error.
America was not so far distant but what he would be able to see her occasionally.
Trollope crossed out her with a straight line and replaced it with the longer his girl, after his cut of the previous sentence ending with his girl. With that sentence restored, we change his girl back to her.
Isabel had all her father’s courage and sureness of purpose, but she was more sensitive
It is possible that Trollope wrote awareness of purpose, though if so the two a’s don’t seem clear. We think sureness is easier to make sense of, though certainly it takes some tolerance to fit the visible strokes to this reading.
Tregear’s part was one very difficult to play.
MS: But is clearly visible at the beginning of the sentence; however, there seems to be a wavy line over it.
Silverbridge had told him that by degrees the Duke would be won round to graciousness and gentle courtesy, and that it was not to be expected that he should swallow at once all his regrets
Trollope cut with a straight line to graciousness and gentle courtesy, and, adding but. Without to graciousness and gentle courtesy, the word and sounds a bit abrupt; but fits better.
He had taken himself to task on this matter.
It is possible, maybe even probable, that Trollope wrote the matter, but there is not enough reason to overturn the FE.
“It is now, and here, that I should drive out the fiend”
MS: It is now that, although it’s possible that that is cancelled with a slightly wavy line. In any case, the word doesn’t fit.
So much indeed had been done.
There is a wavy-line cross-out in the MS of It which seems to extend over had, replaced by So much indeed. Presumably Trollope had meant to delete only It. Regardless, had is necessary in the sentence.
Mr. Boncassen, who was next to him, with the other brother on his right hand
The word to is in the MS but was dropped out of the FE, presumably by mistake.
The healthy country gentleman who decries the fashionable absurdities of the city cannot save himself from their attraction.
In this restored sentence, we omit the MS comma after city; we might have kept it had the sentence been much longer.
why destiny had been so hard upon him
In Folio and Everyman, we followed the FE and previous Oxford editions in capitalizing Destiny. However, we now think it is too jarring to have the word capitalized earlier in the paragraph and then kept lower case later (to persuade himself that his destiny had done him no injury). It is not absolutely necessary to read the earlier destiny in the paragraph as a personification—though if the second destiny had not emerged, we would have kept the first one capitalized.
and he was endeavouring to answer the question, and to persuade himself that his destiny had done him no injury
In the MS, there is a straight-line cross-out of and to persuade, replaced with taking himself to task and telling. Given that the replacement is longer than the original, this could have been a regular revision on Trollope’s part. However, we think it more likely that the change was in response to the other cuts. Trollope might have felt that, without the full original sentence (why he should be compelled to take this man by the hand and make this man’s fortune), persuade would fail to get across how torn the Duke is.
“Tregear,” he said,—and even that was an effort, for he had never hitherto mentioned the man's name without the formal Mister,—“Tregear, as this is the first time you have sat at my table, let me be old-fashioned and ask you to drink a glass of wine with me.”
The second dash is not in the MS or FE, but it is useful.
The glass of wine was drunk of course, and the ceremony afforded infinite satisfaction at least to one person there.
There is no comma in the FE, but with the restoration of of course the MS comma is welcome.
“I have known nothing. It has never been more than a suspicion.”
The first sentence was cut with a straight line; and the second sentence appears in the FE with a added before suspicion. It is entirely possible that this entire sentence was put in to replace the cuts. However, there are no closing quotation marks after the cut of “I have known nothing.” This is a close call, but we have chosen to print both sentences.
“But is it not joyful that it should all be settled!”
We print the MS exclamation point rather than the FE question mark. Isabel is not asking a real question.
Chapter 75
and also that Frank Tregear had resolved all his difficulties and was to be made happy
We believe that resolved is correct, but the word is hard to decipher; conquered is possible too.
She had thought that a short separation from her lover before her wedding would be good for him, and had insisted on absenting herself.
We leave out and for her (or and for herself) after for him, as this appears to be a wavy- line cut. Trollope did not cross out both with a wavy line after would be good, presumably by mistake. We also might have preferred not to include and had insisted on absenting herself, since the information is redundant and Trollope uses the word herself in the sentence above, causing a slightly clunky repetition. However, Trollope used a straight-line cross-out for this phrase (which he had first added to the text with a caret); plus, the word insisted does reinforce the point that Isabel had to be quite firm indeed to get her way.
arguing, as she often did, that his time, his unlimited time for having his way, was fast coming
After these words Trollope drew an insert symbol for a sentence that he added on the side of the manuscript—a sentence that replaced the long cut at the beginning of this chapter. It appeared in the FE as By the end of March Isabel was in Paris, whither she had forbidden her lover to follow her.
“The place is as good as any other.”
Beginning with the FE, this has always been published with This, rather than The, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. ATYR published The; we assume This was a compositor error.
“I wonder what has become of that poor devil.”
The MS period is superior to the FE question mark. Lupton knows that Silverbridge is unaware of what happened to Tifto; he is not asking a question.
“You heard of that row about the hounds?”
This is a close call. Though the sentence does end with a question mark, it is possible that Trollope originally had a period, which would have fit his original sentence: “We all heard of that row about the hounds.” And We all is crossed out with a straight line. However, it’s not apparent why the cut of the previous sentence, “I haven’t seen him since that horrid day at Doncaster,” would cause Trollope to change We to You. We think it more likely instead that this was a change Trollope made to the MS in 1878 (when he wouldn’t have been using wavy lines anymore) because he preferred to make the sentence a question, which he couldn’t do with We.
Gradually, however, better thoughts had returned to him.
The word had dropped out of the FE. We restore it, especially since the next restored sentence begins with He had told himself.
“He looked awfully seedy, with a greatcoat buttoned up to his chin, a shabby hat and old gloves”
We follow the MS (and FE) in leaving out a comma after hat. We have allowed for inconsistent use of the Oxford comma in dialogue (but not in narration).
“He hadn't time to think whether he would speak or not, and you may be sure I didn't wait.”
The word wait was dropped from the FE, but this has to be an error. Dolly is saying that he didn’t wait until Tifto decided whether to speak or not—not that he himself didn’t have time to think about speaking or remaining silent.
The Major came up to him and, touching his hat, asked to be allowed to say a few words.
This has always been published as The Major came up to him, touched his hat, asked to be allowed to say a few words, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
and an hour was named at which Tifto might call in Carlton Terrace
It is difficult to see how the change in proofs (and an hour was named rather than and named an hour) was instigated by the cuts, so we accept the change. Perhaps Trollope felt the passive voice was best in showing Silverbridge’s reluctant acceptance.
“It was I lamed the horse,—out of sheer villainy.”
MS: I that lamed, which we prefer; however, we don’t have enough reason to reject the FE change.
“As far as I am concerned the matter is over. It made me sick of horses, and I do not wish ever to have to think of it again if I can help it.”
Trollope actually wrote the matter again rather than it again, but because of the matter in the previous sentence, it is hard to imagine keeping this if he had seen the sentence in proofs.
and now the Major sank his voice to a whisper,—"when I came up to your bedroom that morning?”
FE: come up. Though this was possibly a purposeful change, we think it more likely that the compositor erred. We follow the MS.
“The whole thing has clean gone out of my mind and I don’t want to have it brought back again.”
This could equally be read as clear gone out of instead, but clean gone out of is a more common expression.
“Your lordship couldn’t do anything for me I suppose.”
We use the MS period rather than the FE question mark—especially with the restoration of I suppose. Without those last two words, the sentence would read too awkwardly without a question mark.
“And then your lordship was so rough to me!”
Though in the Folio and Everyman editions we accepted the FE cut of then, we now put it back in. Because of the MS cuts, the FE sentence would have read “But it was only once; and then your lordship was so rough to me!” This might have been slightly
confusing, as then could have been taken to indicate what happened after that once. With the cuts restored, then fits fine.
nor could he restore to him either the hounds or his club
MS: his hounds, and the change in proofs could certainly be a mistake, but Silverbridge might not want to grant here that the hounds belonged only to Tifto.
and even to him he found himself obliged to make an apology for his ill-judged generosity
Trollope does appear to have written ill-judged, though the word in the MS is somewhat cramped. Yet it’s an awkward word choice, as we are surely meant to applaud Silverbridge for his generosity, not think it ill-judged. Perhaps what Trollope means is that Silverbridge is defensive when talking about the pension, making excuses to show that he understands it was unnecessary even though he did it anyhow. Nowhere does Silverbridge suggest that he would make a different decision now if he could.
Henry Walker
The H in Henry looks more like a V (though not entirely like a V either), leading us to wonder if Trollope had written Vesey Walker instead. But Tifto is trying to recast himself as a solid citizen; Henry is more likely than the somewhat exotic Vesey.
Chapter 76
On the last day of March, the very day on which Lord Silverbridge had heard the poor Major’s story, Tregear, with the surgeon’s permission
Trollope cut only part of this sentence for space, leaving in On the last day of March, but the entire sentence was dropped out of the FE.
for no one seemed quite to know what was to be done
This clause in conjunction with No one quite knew what the statement was to be is redundant—but not so egregious that we should assume the straight-line cut was actually a non-space-saving revision.
There were many peers in the peers’ gallery, and a general feeling of sensation prevailed.
Trollope originally had a plain dash plus and before there were many peers. Because there are so many and’s, we felt justified in leaving it out, assuming that if Trollope had seen the sentence in proofs, he would have left out the word too.
“They’ve left about six inches for him there between Roby and Sir Orlando.”
Trollope wrote Roper, which has always been printed, but it’s the same character as Roby from earlier in the Palliser series; because the substitution is easy to make, we corrected the error.
“I believe I have some vague idea as to supporting property and rank and all that kind of thing.”
This has always been published with property and land, rather than property and rank, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. The word rank adds something new to the sentence, whereas land is a type of property; it is difficult to imagine this change being done on purpose. Rather, it’s another example of an inattentive compositor and inattentive proofreading.
At this moment the Leader of the House came in from behind the Speaker’s chair
The FE creates a new paragraph, but we ignore that. The same issue occurs many times, with the compositor not realizing that a paragraph was meant to continue after a cut.
that he has kept himself free from all study of grace, of feature, of attitude, of gait—or even of dress
Although there would usually be a comma-dash, not just dash, before or even of dress, there is no comma in either the MS or FE, so we let it stand as is.
The really great and clever archbishop—the really potent Chief Justice
The compositor most likely did not notice the dash—because it’s at the beginning of the MS line (the comma ends the previous line) and shorter than usual. We prefer the sentence with the comma-dash, even though there is no balancing comma-dash later. The restored sentence has a few extra words, which perhaps makes a slight difference, as the comma-dash provides a welcome (early) break from all the phrases set off with commas. In short, we think the sentence is a bit easier to read with Trollope’s original punctuation.
You could see a little of the paint; you could hear the crumple of the starch and the padding
The FE uses a comma instead of the MS semicolon, but that doesn’t work with the MS semicolon remaining later in the sentence.
whether a man be open to reproach for not doing that well which the greatest man among us
MS: originally greatest man of all, but of all seems to be crossed out with a wavy line, replaced with among us. Actually, only all has the wavy line, but we can assume that of was meant to be wavy too, not straight.
“So that is the end of your first day of Parliament,” said Silverbridge.
MS: said the latter, crossed out with a straight line, as the longer Silverbridge was put in. It is hard to see why Trollope would have objected to the latter, but we accept the change. Perhaps, given that he leaves out the names of the speakers in the next few lines of dialogue, he thought it would be easier for the reader if the name Silverbridge was right there at the end of the sentence.
“And so they will all go out,” said Mr. Boncassen.
We follow the MS in making this a new paragraph. Trollope had joined this sentence to the previous paragraph, but only after cuts.
Chapter 77
he had himself taken to one other house besides the house in Carlton Terrace
This sentence more than any other shows why we erred, in the Folio edition, by changing Carlton Terrace to Carlton House Terrace. The word house already appears twice in the sentence; a third usage makes the sentence too clunky.
The old woman hinted something as to gout in the stomach.
This restored sentence might seem problematic, because we have already learned about the gout. What’s new, however, is the information about gout in the stomach. So, while we were tempted to leave out the sentence, ultimately we decided to put it in.
yet when a poor woman becomes old it is something to have even a tyrant to protect her
The word even was dropped in the FE, but we can’t see any reason why; the sentence is clearly improved with even in it. Is it possible that Trollope’s handwriting here threw off the compositor? The word even is difficult to decipher, especially because of the first e.
Tregear knew that it had been the theory of my Lord’s life that to eat, drink, and die was better than to abstain and live.
Trollope mistakenly left out the comma after eat. Rather than supply one, we believe that the compositor added and, then took out the comma after drink. This seems more likely than Trollope himself changing the sentence, which sounds better with two and’s rather than three.
Had he been in fair health, with his leisure at his own command, Tregear would have gone at once to Brighton himself.
Trollope originally wrote Had he been himself in fair health but seems to have cut himself with a wavy line before cutting the whole sentence for space. Clearly he had to get rid of one himself in the sentence.
As soon as his good fortune was fixed he felt it to be imperative on him to announce it, at any rate to her.
This sentence repeats some of the information from the previous one, and perhaps Trollope would have cut it had he seen it in proofs. However, we don’t think the problem is egregious enough to delete the sentence, especially since there is some new information in it—that he felt it to be imperative to write as soon as he could.
“although I am still in a very helpless condition, and am hardly able to write even this letter”
Trollope deleted the comma in the MS, but presumably when he also crossed out am.
“In that respect I do not know that I am different from any other, and you might again call me Romeo.”
There is a line in the MS under me (it actually begins under the second l in call. Trollope possibly meant the line to signify italics; however, it could also be a stray mark. Since there are no italics in the FE (or ATYR), we follow the published versions. Had we felt the sentence was clearly better with the italicized word, we would have made the change.
“Nor do I like to say much of what may now be my pecuniary prospects.”
The compositor dropped a word, my, that clearly belongs. We restore it.
Then also towards the end of the month it became suddenly known in London that Lord Grex had died at Brighton.
Then also is not certain, but is a likely reading—though an argument could be made that this was a wavy-line (or in this case a thick-line) cut. Because we restore this sentence, the paragraph break in the FE can be ignored.
“How was it possible,” she said, “that two such creatures as they were”
Though they do not appear in the FE, we add back the MS quotation marks in this section. These quotation marks are smaller than usual—in some cases extremely small—and it is possible that the compositor didn’t notice them or decided to ignore them. We believe the paragraph reads better with the quotation marks included—once one accepts the convention that in dialogue, the wrong pronoun (they rather we) was acceptable.
He offered to go to the bar;—but she asked him whether he really believed that he would succeed at the bar, and also whether he thought it well that such a one as she should wait say a dozen years for such success.
Trollope cut with a straight line really believed that he would succeed at the bar, and also whether he. Because of the restoration of succeed earlier in the sentence, the original success, crossed out with a straight line, should be restored too: say a dozen years for such success. Trollope had cut this word and replaced it with the longer a process.
Any stranger entering it would have known that the family had been or was to be disturbed.
The word stranger is likely but uncertain.
seeming before she spoke a word to declare to him something of the hopelessness of her heart
The words too plainly are somewhat cramped at the end of the MS line. We believe Trollope added them to replace the cut of seeming before she spoke a word.
These were her first words,—referring to the one matter on which he had determined that he would say as little as possible.
In this restored sentence, there is no punctuation between words and referring. Since these are indeed Mabel’s first words, the sentence would be confusing without the comma-dash.
he did not as yet know how far desolate or how far impoverished
It is possible that Trollope wrote destitute not desolate, but the former means much the same as impoverished. So as to avoid unnecessary choppiness, we have not included the MS comma after desolate.
He had perceived that he had then made a mistake, and he certainly would not repeat it on this occasion.
Frank in fact did repeat his mistake, in his letter a few pages earlier, when he referred to himself as a Romeo. We think it would be too aggressive to get rid of this contradiction. Perhaps Frank already regrets what he wrote in that letter, and will not make the same error when he sees Mabel in person.
“And there is nothing.”
A question mark might be more suitable here, but Trollope used a period, as did the FE.
“a mere grovelling among mean hundreds; whereas you”
Trollope must have meant a mean grovelling among mere hundreds, but this is what he wrote and what has always been printed; we let it stand.
“Well;—what is it?”
Trollope had left Well? after the cut of the rest of the sentence, but this was removed from the FE, probably wisely, as the what is it is useful for the meaning.
“No;—not so.”
Trollope wrote “No;—not so. I would not.” Both sentences are crossed out with a straight line in the MS, but I would not appears in the FE. Most likely, though, Trollope added it to replace the cut of the previous sentence and, before that, And so I think would you before. Trollope uses opening and closing quotation marks for each sentence in the MS—indicating that the second one was written after the first one was deleted. We like I would not, and put it into the Everyman edition after leaving it out of the Folio edition. However, we now feel we were right the first time.
“All men are willing enough,—as far as any feeling of mercy is concerned.”
It is possible that this insertion, written vertically at the left-hand margin, was made to replace the cut, then cut itself. But the repetition of all men are willing enough is effective, so we restore everything.
“They trust to the chapter of accidents, and leave things to arrange themselves.”
This has always been published with a chapter of accidents, rather than the chapter of accidents, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“Had I not quailed then I think I should have—‘had him’.”
There is no dash in the MS, but one turns up in the FE. The change is an improvement, and is distinctive enough to have been made by Trollope himself.
She was leaning over from her seat, looking, in black as she was, so much older than her wont
In the FE, in was dropped, but the sentence does not make as much sense without that word.
“There was no reason open to the world why Lady Mabel Grex should not be good enough wife for the son of the Duke of Omnium.”
We would have preferred it if Trollope had added a before good enough wife. However, he didn’t, and we follow what has always been printed.
“Frank,—I was gone beyond worshipping even a light from heaven”
We choose a light from heaven over an angel from heaven. With the earlier cut in the paragraph, Trollope might have felt that the logic for repeating even a light was no longer as strong. Also, he might have felt that, after the cut, it sounded awkward for Mabel to repeat light from heaven so soon. With the sentence restored, that repetition no longer sounds so awkward.
“You would have recommended—delicacy, no doubt. You think that women should be delicate let them suffer what they may.”
This has always been published with delicacy ending one sentence and No doubt beginning the next sentence, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. Also, in the FE, at any rate was removed after women. An argument could be made for leaving it in, since Trollope was seeing (because of compositor error) a different sentence from what he wrote. However, given his eagerness to take out a number of at any rate’s at this stage of editing, we think it likely that the phrase would have been deleted here even if he had seen the correct sentence.
“I had not, at once, grasped at all that such a request conveyed.”
We have added commas around at once to help avoid a potential reader stumble. Mabel can hardly mean she didn’t grasp—that is, understand—her opportunity; her conversation with Miss Cassewary in Chapter 20 contradicts this. What she obviously means is that she didn’t grasp at it– i.e., seize it.
“I think I loved him then as nearly as ever I did”
Originally, Trollope wrote well, which he revised with a straight line to nearly. There is no reason to think this had anything to do with other cuts; it’s an 1878 improvement. Mabel does not claim to have loved Silverbridge, which she conveys better with nearly than with well.
“And what am I now?”
It is possible that Trollope wrote become before now, though the word is hard to make out. In any case, it appears to be crossed out with a wavy line.
“There should have been some touch of chivalry if not of love to make you feel that a second passion should have been postponed”
Commas around if not of love might be helpful, but we follow the MS punctuation, which was carried into the FE. Mabel is emotional and speaking very quickly here.
“but why should it have been long, whether for months or days? I had to cure myself of a wound”
This was changed to but why should it have been less long, whether for months or days? I have to cure myself of a wound in the FE. Because the paragraph begins with I have to defend myself, Trollope might have felt that he needed to be consistent with present tense at the end of the paragraph. However, Frank does have to defend himself in the present as he talks about the wound that he had to cure. (In previous Oxford editions, I have to was changed to I had to.) And Trollope might have thought that less long conveyed the idea of Frank taking less time to get over the wound than Mabel would have preferred. But he had it right in the MS: Frank is saying that it need not have been long at all—why should it have been long?—because as a man it was his responsibility not to wallow in his disappointment. Because Trollope misunderstood what he had originally written, we do not accept the changes made in proofs.
“Is it a sign of strength, do you suppose, to wail under a sorrow that cannot be cured”
There are no commas in the MS around do you suppose, but we supply them, as the sentence is too difficult to read otherwise, with suppose to running together.
“When I saw that there would be perhaps some years of misery for you, of course I accepted your decision.”
MS: some ten years of misery, but ten is referred to later in the chapter; this well might have been a purposeful change.
“that I could think I could never again be allowed to put my arm round your waist”
MS: that I could think that I was never again to be allowed to put my arm round that waist. We accept the FE change, which makes the sentence less bulky, though the repetition of could is awkward. The change from that waist to your waist is an improvement, especially coming right before your cheek.
“that I should lose all that to me for a month or two had seemed to lift me among the gods”
This has always been published with left to me, rather than to lift me, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“I had lost a leg and could not walk”
This has always been published with limb, not leg, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. It’s hard to imagine why Trollope would have objected to a leg that could not walk and changed it to a more general limb, some of which do not walk. Thus, we believe the compositor erred, even though this is not a case where the two words (leg/limb) could be easily mixed up, as in lift/left above.
“Mabel, I sorrowed for myself greatly when that word was spoken,—sorrowed partly because I thought that your love could so easily be taken from me.”
We were tempted to take out the second sorrowed, especially since there’s a small blot over it that could possibly be a wavy line. However, the first four or five letters in sorrowed are crossed out with a straight line, and the word does no great harm in the sentence.
“Nor to disgrace me;—nor to make me feel myself disgraced in my own judgment!”
We would prefer a period here, but we keep the MS exclamation point. The FE question mark, carried through to previous Oxford editions, seems like the weakest choice. Frank has just said, “You do not wish to really trample on me” and Mabel replies, “No;—not that.” So it is hard to imagine putting his next statement in the form of a question. An exclamation point can often suggest a shout, whereas Frank here more likely would have spoken gently or at the most firmly. But it is still plausible for his emotions to rise at this point too. There is not sufficient justification to overturn Trollope’s punctuation.
“Oh, Frank!”
The MS punctuation mark after Oh looks more like a period, but that would be too distracting.
and throwing herself onto the sofa, buried her head among the cushions
We follow the MS (though it’s possible Trollope wrote into rather than onto), rather than the FE and previous Oxford editions, which print on to.
muttering just one word between his teeth, “Mabel, good-bye.”
Though we considered fixing this—muttering just two words between his teeth, or cutting out Mabel—we felt that either move would have been too aggressive. The end of the chapter is more powerful with Mabel’s name included; and two words does not convey the same thing as one word, as in “let me have just one more word.” So we follow the MS and FE and previous Oxford editions.
Chapter 78
He knew now that he had been the cause of a great shipwreck.
MS: the cause there of a great shipwreck, but there dropped out of the FE. While an argument could be made that the word is helpful, it is also possible to argue that its omission makes the sentence less bulky. It’s too close a call—not a glaring enough issue for us to overturn the FE.
the glory of a passion is sufficient
FE: was sufficient, but that was in response to the cuts. The present tense is correct in the restored sentence, as the hero (and not Frank) is the one feeling the glory of a passion, is able to dispense for a while with all sublunary things.
with that sudden feeling of a vile return to his own mean belongings, to his father and mother, his lodgings, and his income which not a few ambitious young men have experienced
We follow the MS, and not the FE, in putting no comma after income (a sudden feeling of a vile return . . . which not a few ambitious young men have experienced).
but it may be doubted whether in this second love he had walked among the stars as in the first
FE: his second love, which is either an error or response to cuts—probably the latter, since the two loves, Mary and Mabel, are no longer mentioned.
but the storm which was howling round her afflicted him also
FE: afflicted him much, in response to cuts. Trollope had deleted for space He still possessed the solid rock on which his own fortunes were to be built, right before but the storm. Without that solid rock, it doesn’t fit for him to also be afflicted by the storm.
he had blamed her because she had declared that she could cease to love him
Trollope crossed out with a straight line she could cease to love him (though actually he had by mistake never written the word she) and replaced it with they should be severed. This seems like a slightly complicated change for the amount of saving Trollope achieved, but we still believe this was done for space. We like the original better, too, because it’s more precise; if they do become severed, it’s only as lovers, not as close friends.
He then told himself that such ceasing would be to him impossible
Though Trollope had crossed out ceasing with a straight line and replaced it with the longer severing, we return to ceasing (see note directly above). Also, the word had appears in the FE between He and then. With the extra syllables restored in the previous sentence, however, we felt it was better not to add an extra syllable here.
he tried to comfort himself with reflecting that Mary was all his own
Originally, Trollope wrote comforted himself before changing it to tried to comfort himself. There seems to be a wavy line around at least the first few letters of comforted. In any case, the change is longer, and does not seem to be in response to other cuts.
“I do care very much,” said Silverbridge.
There is a crossed-out, longer sentence above: “But I do; a great many,” said Silverbridge. That sentence, though, is probably cut with a wavy line—and much fits more smoothly than many.
“and I have not seen him in such good spirits since,—well, for a long time.”
There is a longer dash in the MS, and in the Folio edition we followed the FE in printing it, though we also then capitalized Well afterward. However, we changed it to a regular comma-dash in Everyman, as we now believe that the length of the dash is accidental, extended only because it comes at the very end of the MS line.
“I don’t suppose that one ought to think that what a man may feel about himself once, he will feel for ever.”
Trollope did some normal (non-space-saving) editing, then he attempted a more limited space-saving cut of the sentence before deleting all of it. He originally wrote what a man feels about himself, changing it to the longer what a man may feel about himself.
“I believe the governor will like to go back”
Trollope apparently first wrote I did think the governor will like to go back, crossing out did think with what is probably a wavy line and replacing this with believe.
“and if he does I don’t think the country could have a better man whether he be Liberal or Conservative”
There is a word in the MS before Liberal—most likely an aborted Liberal before Trollope decided to use the word after all.
brewers’ licences to which the honourable gentleman opposite had alluded
Trollope wrote gentlemen, but the change is probably a purposeful one, as the gentleman referred to is Sir Timothy in Chapter 76.
He was perhaps a little fidgety, a little fretful
Trollope appears to have left out the t when he wrote fretful—unless he wrote something else which we were unable to decipher.
where a man can do, or at any rate can attempt to do, some special thing
We follow the FE in supplying the missing MS comma after can do, which is necessary because of the comma after to do.
“without recourse to that parliamentary strategy for which I know that I am unfit”
There is a comma in the MS after strategy, but we follow the FE in leaving it out, as the comma slightly changes the meaning.
“But these are things which one should not consider.”
This has always been published with there, rather than these, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“If it be nothing else, I can be loyal.”
There is a word before loyal that we believe is a false start. Regardless, it is unreadable. presumably a false start before loyal. Perhaps Trollope started to write at least and changed his mind when he got to at.
“Mr. Du Boung says that the borough is more than gratified”
This has always been published with grateful, rather than gratified, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS.
“I suppose it is your republican bride-elect that has done that,” said the Duke laughing.
The word laughing was added in proofs. Trollope must have felt that, without this word, the chapter ended too abruptly, and/or that the affect needed to be clarified, since the Duke had been speaking quite seriously before. We print laughing since the second motive remains even when restoring the sentences afterward removes the first. We also follow the FE (but not previous Oxford editions) in putting no comma before laughing.
Chapter 79
Indeed it was all holiday up to Easter, though the House did once meet in order that the new ministers might take their new places.
Trollope previously wrote Indeed it was all holiday up to Easter, though the House did once meet so that the new ministers were able to take their new places. He crossed out so with what appears to be a wavy line, replacing it with in order, and crossed out were able to with what also seems to be a wavy line, replacing it with might. Ultimately he crossed out the entire sentence for space. Though it’s hard to be absolutely certain about the wavy lines here, all the changes save only one space and are too elaborate to have been done for that reason. So we print the later version of the original sentence.
The day for the marriage of Isabel and Silverbridge had been now fixed.
There are two words crossed out with a mostly straight line before now. They might well be some time, which would call for the sentence to become The day for the marriage of Isabel and Silverbridge had been now for some time fixed (even though Trollope left out for). What we think Trollope most likely wrote, however, is The day for the marriage of Isabel and Silverbridge had been now since been fixed. He didn’t notice this in 1876, but when cutting in 1878 he got rid of the extra words—with the straight line he was using to make space-saving cuts as well.
while he remained in town, he hardly even spoke to the Duke
The word even is not fully certain; it could be ever and could be a false start.
“If you please, sir, Lady Mary is in the little drawing-room.”
The MS probably has a period after sir, but it’s ambiguous and could be a comma. A comma is used in the FE and is superior, so we use it too.
as soon as the Duke’s door was well and certainly closed
Trollope crossed out well and certainly with a straight line, replacing these words with quite, which the compositor must not have seen, as the word does not appear in the FE. It is somewhat understandable that he missed the word, since it is crammed close to well and certainly, which had been inserted above the line when Trollope crossed out certainly with a wavy line. The cross-out of well and certainly is not fully straight, but we do not think it is wavy.
Lady Mary had known all details as to the arrival of the trains and the length of the journey from the station, and had not been walking with the other young people when the Duke had intercepted her lover at the door.
Though we printed the MS and FE comma after details in the Folio and Everyman editions, we now take it out. The comma makes the reader expect a different syntax, and one has to re-parse the sentence when one gets to and had not been walking. To avoid a reader stumble, then, we take out this comma.
Tregear, when this was said, could not but remember that at a time not very much prior to that at which Mary had not stopped to think, neither had he and Mabel, and that the results in that case had not been fortunate.
We prefer the shortened sentence, with for a while added after neither and the sentence ending with Mabel. However, we do not feel there is enough justification to reject Trollope’s original wording.
“But when everything was against me!”
We use the MS exclamation point rather than the FE question mark. His exasperation and frustration are better expressed with the former.
“At every glance, he threw you and all your iniquities in my teeth.”
We add the comma (not in the MS) to prevent readers from stumbling and putting At every glance he threw you together.
“Yes; but you were not offending a father who, though he would not say a word to reproach me, could not keep himself from looking at me.”
After the straight-line cuts, the sentence became “Yes; but you were not offending a father who could not keep himself from looking reproaches at you.” It is also possible that Trollope added reproaches in 1876 as a regular revision, in which case the sentence would read “Yes; but you were not offending a father who, though he would not say a word to reproach me, could not keep himself from looking reproaches at me.” However, it appears that Trollope wrote reproaches at you all at once—and he wouldn’t have changed me to you in 1876, before he cut the earlier part of the sentence.
“I don’t think she can have recovered from it yet.”
The word from is missing from the MS; we supply it.
There were six bridesmaids, of whom of course Mary was one
MS: of whom Mary of course. The FE change was presumably made to parallel the syntax of the following clause.
And there were two other Palliser girls and a Scotch M‘Cluskie cousin.
And was probably capitalized because of a compositor error; still, there is not sufficient reason to overturn the FE here.
in which such splendid things are done on so very splendid a scale
This has always been published with were, rather than are, despite what Trollope wrote in the MS. He is clearly talking about the present.
the happy bride’s happy mother herself compounded the cake which her guests were to eat for luck
There is a slight possibility that Trollope wrote cut rather than eat, and health rather than luck, but we are fairly certain that our reading is right.
“Mother,” she said. “It is but ten days across the Atlantic. The years in which you won’t come to us we will go to you.”
We originally read year rather than years, and printed the former in the Folio Society edition. But we now believe the plural is more likely.
Chapter 80
As to Mrs. Finn Mary had made a request
A comma would be preferable after Finn (and it is in previous Oxford editions, as well as ATYR), but it’s not in the MS and not in the FE or MS. Since the comma is hardly necessary, we leave it out.
but Mary, though she had replied only by a look, had resisted
The word resisted is difficult to decipher under the cross-out but is probably correct. However, the initial letter does look more like a p than an r. That might suggest prevailed or protested—the former more likely than the latter—but then there are issues with other strokes in the spelling. Is it possible that Trollope wrote persisted, meaning resisted?
One who did not know him well might have said that he was a man with very few cares
This is a rare occasion where the word very was added in proofs instead of taken out.
