North and South, Chapter 43 summary

What happens

1. Mrs. Shaw presses Margaret to leave Milton, while Mr. Bell offers financial support and proposes clear terms for living with her relatives.
2. On her father’s funeral day, Margaret sorts possessions, reserves books, and writes a note to accompany a book for Mr. Thornton.
3. Margaret visits Mary, asks Nicholas Higgins to call, and chooses Bessy’s drinking cup as a keepsake.
4. Mrs. Thornton accepts Margaret’s denial of improper conduct, but Mr. Thornton conceals his love behind a cold goodbye.
5. Although the visits exhaust Margaret, she insists on leaving; Captain Lennox’s undemanding conversation helps her recover somewhat.
6. Higgins visits, receives Mr. Hale’s Bible, and accepts Margaret’s money for Boucher’s children rather than himself.

In this chapter

What to notice

Higgins distinguishes friendship from financial dependence. Margaret respects his pride by explaining that her gift belongs to the children.

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