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Introduction
As the manager of the Performance sits before the curtain on the boards and looks into the Fair, a feeling of profound melancholy comes over him in his survey of the bustling place. There is a grea...
Chapter 1
Chiswick MallWhile the present century was in its teens, and on one sunshiny morning in June, there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton's academy for young ladies, on Chiswick Mall, a...
Chapter 2
In Which Miss Sharp and Miss Sedley Prepare to Open the CampaignWhen Miss Sharp had performed the heroical act mentioned in the last chapter, and had seen the Dixonary, flying over the pavement of...
Chapter 3
Rebecca Is in Presence of the EnemyA VERY stout, puffy man, in buckskins and Hessian boots, with several immense neckcloths that rose almost to his nose, with a red striped waistcoat and an apple g...
Chapter 4
The Green Silk PursePoor Joe's panic lasted for two or three days; during which he did not visit the house, nor during that period did Miss Rebecca ever mention his name. She was all respectful gra...
Chapter 5
Dobbin of OursCuff's fight with Dobbin, and the unexpected issue of that contest, will long be remembered by every man who was educated at Dr. Swishtail's famous school. The latter Youth (who used...
Chapter 6
VauxhallI know that the tune I am piping is a very mild one (although there are some terrific chapters coming presently), and must beg the good-natured reader to remember that we are only discoursi...
Chapter 7
Crawley of Queen's CrawleyAmong the most respected of the names beginning in C which the Court-Guide contained, in the year 18--, was that of Crawley, Sir Pitt, Baronet, Great Gaunt Street, and Que...
Chapter 8
Private and ConfidentialMiss Rebecca Sharp to Miss Amelia Sedley, Russell Square, London. (Free.--Pitt Crawley.)MY DEAREST, SWEETEST AMELIA,With what mingled joy and sorrow do I take up the pen to...
Chapter 9
Family PortraitsSir Pitt Crawley was a philosopher with a taste for what is called low life. His first marriage with the daughter of the noble Binkie had been made under the auspices of his parents...
Chapter 10
Miss Sharp Begins to Make FriendsAnd now, being received as a member of the amiable family whose portraits we have sketched in the foregoing pages, it became naturally Rebecca's duty to make hersel...
Chapter 11
Arcadian SimplicityBesides these honest folks at the Hall (whose simplicity and sweet rural purity surely show the advantage of a country life over a town one), we must introduce the reader to thei...
Chapter 12
Quite a Sentimental ChapterWe must now take leave of Arcadia, and those amiable people practising the rural virtues there, and travel back to London, to inquire what has become of Miss Amelia "We d...
Chapter 13
Sentimental and OtherwiseI fear the gentleman to whom Miss Amelia's letters were addressed was rather an obdurate critic. Such a number of notes followed Lieutenant Osborne about the country, that...
Chapter 14
Miss Crawley at HomeAbout this time there drove up to an exceedingly snug and well-appointed house in Park Lane, a travelling chariot with a lozenge on the panels, a discontented female in a green...
Chapter 15
In Which Rebecca's Husband Appears for a Short TimeEvery reader of a sentimental turn (and we desire no other) must have been pleased with the tableau with which the last act of our little drama co...
Chapter 16
The Letter on the PincushionHow they were married is not of the slightest consequence to anybody. What is to hinder a Captain who is a major, and a young lady who is of age, from purchasing a licen...
Chapter 17
How Captain Dobbin Bought a PianoIf there is any exhibition in all Vanity Fair which Satire and Sentiment can visit arm in arm together; where you light on the strangest contrasts laughable and tea...
Chapter 18
Who Played on the Piano Captain Dobbin BoughtOur surprised story now finds itself for a moment among very famous events and personages, and hanging on to the skirts of history. When the eagles of N...
Chapter 19
Miss Crawley at NurseWe have seen how Mrs. Firkin, the lady's maid, as soon as any event of importance to the Crawley family came to her knowledge, felt bound to communicate it to Mrs. Bute Crawley...
Chapter 20
In Which Captain Dobbin Acts as the Messenger of HymenWithout knowing how, Captain William Dobbin found himself the great promoter, arranger, and manager of the match between George Osborne and Ame...
Chapter 21
A Quarrel About an HeiressLove may be felt for any young lady endowed with such qualities as Miss Swartz possessed; and a great dream of ambition entered into old Mr. Osborne's soul, which she was...
Chapter 22
A Marriage and Part of a HoneymoonEnemies the most obstinate and courageous can't hold out against starvation; so the elder Osborne felt himself pretty easy about his adversary in the encounter we...
Chapter 23
Captain Dobbin Proceeds on His CanvassWhat is the secret mesmerism which friendship possesses, and under the operation of which a person ordinarily sluggish, or cold, or timid, becomes wise, active...
Chapter 24
In Which Mr. Osborne Takes Down the Family BibleSo having prepared the sisters, Dobbin hastened away to the City to perform the rest and more difficult part of the task which he had undertaken. The...
Chapter 25
In Which All the Principal Personages Think Fit to Leave BrightonConducted to the ladies, at the Ship Inn, Dobbin assumed a jovial and rattling manner, which proved that this young officer was beco...
Chapter 26
Between London and ChathamOn quitting Brighton, our friend George, as became a person of rank and fashion travelling in a barouche with four horses, drove in state to a fine hotel in Cavendish Squa...
Chapter 27
In Which Amelia Joins Her RegimentWhen Jos's fine carriage drove up to the inn door at Chatham, the first face which Amelia recognized was the friendly countenance of Captain Dobbin, who had been p...
Chapter 28
In Which Amelia Invades the Low CountriesThe regiment with its officers was to be transported in ships provided by His Majesty's government for the occasion: and in two days after the festive assem...
Chapter 29
BrusselsMr. Jos had hired a pair of horses for his open carriage, with which cattle, and the smart London vehicle, he made a very tolerable figure in the drives about Brussels. George purchased a h...
Chapter 30
"The Girl I Left Behind Me"We do not claim to rank among the military novelists. Our place is with the non-combatants. When the decks are cleared for action we go below and wait meekly. We should o...
Chapter 31
In Which Jos Sedley Takes Care of His SisterThus all the superior officers being summoned on duty elsewhere, Jos Sedley was left in command of the little colony at Brussels, with Amelia invalided,...
Chapter 32
In Which Jos Takes Flight, and the War Is Brought to a CloseWe of peaceful London City have never beheld--and please God never shall witness--such a scene of hurry and alarm, as that which Brussels...
Chapter 33
In Which Miss Crawley's Relations Are Very Anxious About HerThe kind reader must please to remember--while the army is marching from Flanders, and, after its heroic actions there, is advancing to t...
Chapter 34
James Crawley's Pipe Is Put OutThe amiable behaviour of Mr. Crawley, and Lady Jane's kind reception of her, highly flattered Miss Briggs, who was enabled to speak a good word for the latter, after...
Chapter 35
Widow and MotherThe news of the great fights of Quatre Bras and Waterloo reached England at the same time. The Gazette first published the result of the two battles; at which glorious intelligence...
Chapter 36
How to Live Well on Nothing a YearI suppose there is no man in this Vanity Fair of ours so little observant as not to think sometimes about the worldly affairs of his acquaintances, or so extremely...
Chapter 37
The Subject ContinuedIn the first place, and as a matter of the greatest necessity, we are bound to describe how a house may be got for nothing a year. These mansions are to be had either unfurnish...
Chapter 38
A Family in a Very Small WayWe must suppose little George Osborne has ridden from Knightsbridge towards Fulham, and will stop and make inquiries at that village regarding some friends whom we have...
Chapter 39
A Cynical ChapterOur duty now takes us back for a brief space to some old Hampshire acquaintances of ours, whose hopes respecting the disposal of their rich kinswoman's property were so woefully di...
Chapter 40
In Which Becky Is Recognized by the FamilyThe heir of Crawley arrived at home, in due time, after this catastrophe, and henceforth may be said to have reigned in Queen's Crawley. For though the old...
Chapter 41
In Which Becky Revisits the Halls of Her AncestorsSo the mourning being ready, and Sir Pitt Crawley warned of their arrival, Colonel Crawley and his wife took a couple of places in the same old Hig...
Chapter 42
Which Treats of the Osborne FamilyConsiderable time has elapsed since we have seen our respectable friend, old Mr. Osborne of Russell Square. He has not been the happiest of mortals since last we m...
Chapter 43
In Which the Reader Has to Double the CapeThe astonished reader must be called upon to transport himself ten thousand miles to the military station of Bundlegunge, in the Madras division of our Ind...
Chapter 44
A Round-about Chapter between London and HampshireOur old friends the Crawleys' family house, in Great Gaunt Street, still bore over its front the hatchment which had been placed there as a token o...
Chapter 45
Between Hampshire and LondonSir Pitt Crawley had done more than repair fences and restore dilapidated lodges on the Queen's Crawley estate. Like a wise man he had set to work to rebuild the injured...
Chapter 46
Struggles and TrialsOur friends at Brompton were meanwhile passing their Christmas after their fashion and in a manner by no means too cheerful.Out of the hundred pounds a year, which was about the...
Chapter 47
Gaunt HouseAll the world knows that Lord Steyne's town palace stands in Gaunt Square, out of which Great Gaunt Street leads, whither we first conducted Rebecca, in the time of the departed Sir Pitt...
Chapter 48
In Which the Reader Is Introduced to the Very Best of CompanyAt last Becky's kindness and attention to the chief of her husband's family were destined to meet with an exceeding great reward, a rewa...
Chapter 49
In Which We Enjoy Three Courses and a DessertWhen the ladies of Gaunt House were at breakfast that morning, Lord Steyne (who took his chocolate in private and seldom disturbed the females of his ho...
Chapter 50
Contains a Vulgar IncidentThe Muse, whoever she be, who presides over this Comic History must now descend from the genteel heights in which she has been soaring and have the goodness to drop down u...
Chapter 51
In Which a Charade Is Acted Which May or May Not Puzzle the ReaderAfter Becky's appearance at my Lord Steyne's private and select parties, the claims of that estimable woman as regards fashion were...
Chapter 52
In Which Lord Steyne Shows Himself in a Most Amiable LightWhen Lord Steyne was benevolently disposed, he did nothing by halves, and his kindness towards the Crawley family did the greatest honour t...
Chapter 53
A Rescue and a CatastropheFriend Rawdon drove on then to Mr. Moss's mansion in Cursitor Street, and was duly inducted into that dismal place of hospitality. Morning was breaking over the cheerful h...
Chapter 54
Sunday After the BattleThe mansion of Sir Pitt Crawley, in Great Gaunt Street, was just beginning to dress itself for the day, as Rawdon, in his evening costume, which he had now worn two days, pas...
Chapter 55
In Which the Same Subject is PursuedBecky did not rally from the state of stupor and confusion in which the events of the previous night had plunged her intrepid spirit until the bells of the Curzo...
Chapter 56
Georgy is Made a GentlemanGeorgy Osborne was now fairly established in his grandfather's mansion in Russell Square, occupant of his father's room in the house and heir apparent of all the splendour...
Chapter 57
EothenIt was one of the many causes for personal pride with which old Osborne chose to recreate himself that Sedley, his ancient rival, enemy, and benefactor, was in his last days so utterly defeat...
Chapter 58
Our Friend the MajorOur Major had rendered himself so popular on board the Ramchunder that when he and Mr. Sedley descended into the welcome shore-boat which was to take them from the ship, the who...
Chapter 59
The Old PianoThe Major's visit left old John Sedley in a great state of agitation and excitement. His daughter could not induce him to settle down to his customary occupations or amusements that ni...
Chapter 60
Returns to the Genteel WorldGood fortune now begins to smile upon Amelia. We are glad to get her out of that low sphere in which she has been creeping hitherto and introduce her into a polite circl...
Chapter 61
In Which Two Lights are Put OutThere came a day when the round of decorous pleasures and solemn gaieties in which Mr. Jos Sedley's family indulged was interrupted by an event which happens in most...
Chapter 62
Am RheinThe above everyday events had occurred, and a few weeks had passed, when on one fine morning, Parliament being over, the summer advanced, and all the good company in London about to quit th...
Chapter 63
In Which We Meet an Old AcquaintanceSuch polite behaviour as that of Lord Tapeworm did not fail to have the most favourable effect upon Mr. Sedley's mind, and the very next morning, at breakfast, h...
Chapter 64
A Vagabond ChapterWe must pass over a part of Mrs. Rebecca Crawley's biography with that lightness and delicacy which the world demands--the moral world, that has, perhaps, no particular objection...
Chapter 65
Full of Business and PleasureThe day after the meeting at the play-table, Jos had himself arrayed with unusual care and splendour, and without thinking it necessary to say a word to any member of h...
Chapter 66
Amantium IraeFrankness and kindness like Amelia's were likely to touch even such a hardened little reprobate as Becky. She returned Emmy's caresses and kind speeches with something very like gratit...
Chapter 67
Which Contains Births, Marriages, and DeathsWhatever Becky's private plan might be by which Dobbin's true love was to be crowned with success, the little woman thought that the secret might keep, a...