What is the main conflict in The Lifted Veil by George Eliot?

George Eliot's novella "The Lifted Veil" was first published in 1859. Eliot had written "The Lifted Veil" between the publication of her first novel Adam Bede, and that of her second novel, The Mill on the Floss. Eliot's publisher was hesitant to publish the story, because it was nothing like Adam Bede, for which she had gained critical acclaim. He was concerned that this tale of horror would be bad for her literary reputation, but reluctantly published it in a literary journal, albeit anonymously.