Book 3: Chapter 3 Summary

The aunts arrive, Mrs. Deane ostentatiously in her new carriage. Then the Gleggs and the Pullets arrive. They show little sympathy for their sister's plight, telling her that she just must reconcile herself to reality. Mrs. Tulliver had been hoping they might be willing to buy the nice things she made for her future home when she was a girl, especially those things that have the family name on them. The Dodson family is not going to put itself out to help her. They want Maggie and Tom in the room to hear what they have to say. They scorn Tom's education and tell Maggie that she won't have servants now; she'll have to work. They very unkindly point out that Bessy has disgraced the family by marrying a man that brought her to beggary.

Tom confronts her and suggests that...