Daniel Deronda

Deronda is cornered by one of Sir Hugo’s acquaintances. Mr. Vandernoodt recognizes Deronda from the trip abroad and talks to him incessantly. Through the course of the conversation, the gossipy Vandernoodt reveals information about Grandcourt’s past with Lydia. Deronda now suspects that this scandalous gossip is the reason why Gwendolen may be upset. Deronda does not judge the newlyweds. He pities them and sympathizes with their problem. While speaking to the women, he mentions that Mirah is now giving music lessons. She can also be booked to sing at private events. Lady Mallinger speaks positively of Mirah, though cannot help but refer to her as a “bigoted Jewess.” Gwendolen is again able to trap Deronda in a private conversation. This time, he tells her about the tragedy of Mirah’s past and the fateful circumstances in which they met. Gwendolen teases Deronda for speaking so fondly of Mirah, but Deronda insists that he would be sympathetic to anyone going through such difficulties.

When New Year’s Eve arrives, Sir Hugo throws his customary ball. Grandcourt is always bored by this annual event. Gwendolen makes a point of wearing the turquoise necklace Deronda recovered for her, though she wraps it around her wrist as a bracelet and hides her hands in her muff. She plans to show Deronda the necklace, with an allusion to someone else’s loss becoming her gain. Grandcourt does not understand why she is wearing it. After she speaks to Deronda, he leads her back to Grandcourt. The scene does not impress Grandcourt. He criticizes his wife’s “damnably vulgar” actions and tells her to know her place. Gwendolen is horrified by her husband’s criticism. Nevertheless, she finds Deronda again and speaks to him in private. He suggests that she consider her misery to be “a painful letting in of light” (382). Gwendolen is scared, particularly of what she might do. Deronda suggests that she use her fear to steady her senses. He feels unable to help her adequately. When she leaves, Sir Hugo steps into the room. He warns Deronda against “playing with fire” (384).

At the beginning of February, Deronda visits Hans Meyrick. He finds his friend busy painting, working on a new project that has inspired him. He paints Mirah, using her as a model for his paintings of Berenice. In Roman history, Berenice was the Jewish lover of an emperor. As Deronda flicks through Hans’s sketches, he sees a portrait of Rex Gascoigne. Deronda tells his friend that the Berenice paintings may not be appropriate, especially if Mirah finds work as a teacher. Hans admits to his friend that he loves Mirah. Deronda cautions Hans, as he believes that Mirah would never marry a Christian man. Privately, Deronda is shocked by the feelings that Hans’s admission has stirred inside him.

Later, Deronda talks to the rest of the Meyrick family and Mirah. He is told by Mirah that Hans has compared him favorably to the Buddha, as he is willing to give himself up for his friends. Deronda dismisses this praise, claiming that he does in fact have needs. He talks about the legend of the Buddha giving himself up to a hungry tiger and praises it as a story of the “transmutation of the self” (394). Mirah has taken her father’s adopted name, Lapidoth, as a stage name. Though she wants to use her surname, Cohen, Deronda warns that this will bar her from many venues. Deronda leaves, thinking about his own uncertain origins.

Deronda is fascinated by the “consumptive-looking” Mordecai, who in turn has developed an interest in Deronda. Mordecai has spent years searching for a young man with a similarly inquisitive mind, someone with whom he can share his knowledge and his passions. He views Deronda as a perfect successor, as he is handsome, well built, wealthy enough, and cultured. Mordecai is an adherent of the Jewish mystical practice of Cabbala and he believes that one soul can pass its essence along to another before burning out. After years relying on the Cohen family to get by, Mordecai hopes that he can move forward by teaching Deronda everything he knows. He feels that “something else [is] coming” (406).

Herr Klesmer visits the Meyrick house. Deronda has invited him to hear Mirah sing, asking for his professional opinion on whether she is ready to work as a musician. The Meyrick women are concerned that he will judge Mirah harshly, as they have grown to love her. His presence intimidates them at first, but they are delighted when he praises her talent and announces that she is “a musician.” Klesmer recommends that she sing in private events and teach only the wealthy people that she will meet at such events. He invites her to attend a concert with him and the family debates what she should wear.

Deronda returns to the neighborhood where the Cohens live. He hopes to speak to Mordecai and learn more about the Cohens before he recovers his ring. As he is arriving to the area by boat, Mordecai spots him from Blackfriars Bridge. They walk together toward the bookshop, with Mordecai joking that he has spent five years waiting for Deronda to appear. Still aged only 30, he has tuberculosis and knows that he is dying. Thankfully, he says, Deronda has appeared just in time to share his “beloved ideas.” He speaks about his past. He was born in England but he spent a lot of time in the Netherlands, where he studied under a very knowledgeable rabbi. When the rabbi died, Mordecai took his studies to Germany. Since he was a young man, he has been driven by the idea that many Jewish philosophers have proposed: a homeland for the Jewish people.

Deronda sympathizes with Mordecai’s plight. He offers to help publish some of Mordecai’s work. Mordecai does not want financial or professional assistance. He wants Deronda to help him in a more spiritual way. Deronda points out that he is not Jewish, which Mordecai says “can’t be true” (423). Deronda confesses that he cannot be completely sure about the true nature of his parentage. Mordecai tells him to find out, and Deronda proposes that they meet regularly. Mordecai knows a place nearby where they can sit together in the parlor and talk. Deronda tries to learn more about the Cohens but Mordecai avoids his questions. He does not want to disturb “the privacy of the family” that trusts him (427).