The Tenant of Wildfell Hall Chap 23, 24 First Weeks of Matrimony/First Quarrel

Illustrated Reading
Chapter 23: Helen writes in her diary. It is February 1822 and she has been married now for more than two months. Arthur has gone out hunting for the day, so Helen decides to write her feelings about her marriage. She says she loves him heartily, but admits she probably would not have considered marrying him if she had known him better. She writes that her honeymoon was rushed, and she was never permitted to relax and enjoy the sights on her European tour because Arthur had already seen them and was bored. Helen admits that Arthur is - in a word - selfish. She is accepting of that and just hopes he will continue to love her so their life can be pleasant enough. However, Helen's alarm bell goes off when, after church one Sunday, Arthur scolds her for being so captivated by the sermon and only putting her attention on God and not on himself. He says it made him jealous for her attention and that she is entirely too religious. This was upsetting to Helen, especially when Arthur admitted he didn't really have any religious convictions about the hereafter, and prefers to indulge himself in the present.
Chapter 24: It is now March. Helen continues in her diary, describing how restless her husband has become. He paces from room to room, sighing and generally acting frustrated and bored. He abuses his dog. He torments Helen with stories about affairs he had prior to meeting her - one even with a married lady (Lady F___). This is too much for Helen. She says if she had known this prior to their marriage she wouldn't have given him a chance. He laughs when she says this, and she leaves the room in a huff. He comes and knocks on her door, but she won't open it to him. They ignore each other for a whole day and a half. Helen wants to break the silence/break the impasse very much, but she is certain it would not help their relationship. Arthur suddenly brightens up the second day into their quarrel even though the weather is still bad. He says, "I know exactly what I am going to do!" Helen is very worried. She is certain he is planning to go to London. He is happy with this plan until a servant comes and says one horse is sick and needs a day or two to recover before it can make the trip.
This makes Arthur discouraged, and he admits to Helen that he is unhappy because she doesn't love him. Helen says she wants to love him but he has to stop teasing her with stories about other women. They embrace and make up.
0:00 Reading chapter 23
5:34 First illustration
10:19 Second illustration
13:33 Third illustration
16:01 Fourth illustration
21:41 Fifth illustration
28:42 Sixth illustration
30:16 Seventh illustration
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