The Perpetual Curate · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Perpetual Curate by Margaret Oliphant.

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Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates the work to a beloved mistress and a dear sister, acknowledging them as gentle comforters in desolation.
Chapter 2
The Perpetual Curate
Frank Wentworth, the perpetual curate of St. Roque's, navigates the complexities of his clerical duties and personal relationships in Carlingford, particularly his growing attachment to Lucy Wodehouse amidst family tensions and societal expectations.
Chapter 3
Chapter I
The new Rector of Carlingford, Mr. Morgan, and his wife discuss the challenges of their new parish, particularly the interference of the young Perpetual Curate of St. Roque's, Mr. Wentworth, who conducts services at Wharfside without regard for parochial boundaries. Their conversation is interrupted by an encounter at the church, where Mr. Wentworth openly criticizes the building's architecture, further irritating the Rector. The chapter sets up the tension between the established church authority and the independent curate.
Chapter 4
II
Mr. Wentworth walks home through a rain shower, brooding over his diminished influence in Carlingford after the arrival of the new Rector, Mr. Morgan. He reflects on his precarious position: his hopes for the family living of Skelmersdale depend on his Evangelical aunts, the Miss Wentworths, who disapprove of his High Church views. His thoughts turn to Lucy Wodehouse, whose society he craves but cannot claim without a secure living. Earlier, he had joined Lucy and her sister for the Wharfside service, and later dined at the Wodehouses' where Mr. Morgan slighted his work. Lucy's sister gently warns her about appearances, but Lucy defends their collaboration. The chapter ends with Mr. Wentworth's anxious reflections on his future.
Chapter 5
III
During Passion Week and Easter, Frank Wentworth is preoccupied with church duties and his feelings for Lucy Wodehouse, while his aunts—Cecilia, Leonora, and Dora—arrive unexpectedly at the Blue Boar, threatening his hopes for the Skelmersdale living and his relationship with Lucy.

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Dedication

The Perpetual Curate

Chapter I

II

III