Our Mutual Friend, Chapter 10 summary
Chapter 10 of 68 · Book 1: The Cup and the Lip · 22 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 10, Hamilton Veneering and his wife host an elaborate wedding for Alfred Lammle and Sophronia Akershem, who each believe the other has money. On their honeymoon, the couple discover their mutual deception and replace their quarrel with an agreement to conceal the truth and pursue profitable schemes together.
What happens
- The Veneerings arrange the wedding and recruit a bewildered Melvin Twemlow to give Sophronia away.
- Twemlow prepares nervously, while the arriving bridesmaids remind him of an unhappy attachment.
- Alfred and Sophronia marry, and the guests attend a lavish breakfast marked by indifference, mockery, and social rivalry.
- About a fortnight afterward, the newlyweds discover that neither possesses the wealth each expects from the other.
- They blame the Veneerings, quarrel bitterly, and acknowledge that both enter marriage under false pretenses.
- Alfred secures Sophronia’s agreement to secrecy and shared money-making schemes, then warns her against further displays of temper.
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What to notice
Alfred converts their failed attempts to deceive one another into a proposal for joint deception. The marriage becomes an alliance based on secrecy rather than affection.
Quick check
What income does Sophronia say her trustee manages?
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