My Brilliant Career

The monotony of life at Barney’s Gap is agony to Sybylla. At night, she slips out of the house to sit under the stars. She sings songs from Caddagat and tries to relive every hour she spent there until emotion overwhelms her and she prays. Mr. M’Swat suspects Sybylla of sneaking out to see a lover because the idea of a girl going out to stargaze and dream is impossible to him. Sybylla does not try to explain; she assumes that a soulless man like M’Swat would consider her mad.

Peter M’Swat has a sweetheart a few miles away, and he often goes out to visit her. One night, he returns from one of these visits and sees Sybylla outside. He slows his horse so Sybylla can walk beside him, but he does not dismount. Sybylla reflects that Peter is not rude, he is simply ignorant. This is why he allows Mrs. M’Swat to labor while he sits and smokes. He is not unmanly; he is just acting out the only manliness he knows.

Mr. M’Swat approaches Sybylla about her sweetheart, telling her both that she shouldn’t sneak out to meet men and that she shouldn’t make any advances toward Peter. Sybylla is dismayed and disgusted by the idea of marrying Peter––she has some respect for him, but she views their lives as so incompatible that their only similarity will be death. Sybylla explodes at M’Swat, calling him impertinent to even suggest she might have interest in a boor like Peter. She tells him she goes out at night to escape his terrible home, and spitefully assures him that making a bit of money has not made M’Swat a gentleman. She demands M’Swat never discuss Sybylla as an option for marriage with anyone in the area, and then she storms to her room, where she weeps.

Sybylla fantasizes about running away from Barney’s Gap, but her love for her siblings at home keeps her there. If Harold Beecham were to appear, she would accept his proposal with no conditions. She thinks of him as gallant and princely, and far superior to any men she sees at Barney’s Gap. Mrs. Bossier mentions Harold in a letter to Sybylla on Easter, and her description makes it clear that Harold still intends to marry Sybylla when she is 21.

Life at Barney’s Gap is draining the life from Sybylla. She often cries through the night instead of sleeping, and the neighbors describe her as sorrowful and delicate. She feels guilty for snapping at Mr. M’Swat, who in his own mind was only behaving in a fatherly way, so she apologizes to him. Sybylla also tells M’Swat that she is already engaged, but she asks him to keep this a secret, and he agrees.

Sybylla does not consider herself superior to the M’Swats––in fact, she thinks their morality, practicality, and good natures make them superior to her. She is especially impressed at Mrs. M’Swat’s ability to bear children year after year without complaint. But despite her respect for the M’Swats, the lack of mental stimulation they offer Sybylla is hurting her soul.