Rector's Daughter Part II

Mary has a passionate nature, in spite of her being dismissed as dull and churchy by many people and she is falling deeply in love with Mr Herbert. Then he writes to her to tell her that he has become engaged to a young upper class girl called Kathy Hollings, who is beautiful and charming. However she is not very clever and she dimisses people who are below her in class. Mary can't believe that Herbert has fallen in love with Kathy and abandoned her when she was hoping he would propose. She does not exactly dislike Kathy but she thinks that she is silly and vulgar and not up to Herbert's intellectual level. He marries quickly and for a year he is infatuated with his wife. She tries to adjust to life as a clergyman's wife, but she loves hunting and social events and horses, and still hangs around with some of her society friends, including her sister in law who are spoiled and selfish and who dimiss country clergy as nobodies. Soon Herbert finds himself getting very dissatisfied with his bride, she irritates him by her vulgar silliness, her slangy conversation and her habit of singing saucy songs at village concerts and sniggering in church. Herbert and Kathy begin to quarrel. She feels irritated at his condescending ways and he feels foolish for having fallen in love with her.