North and South Volume 1, Chapter 24 Summary

Mistakes Cleared Up

  • Margaret wakes up and finds everything in her household fairly peaceful.
  • But she isn't up for long before the servant Dixon tells her that Mr. Thornton has come to the house and is waiting for her in the drawing-room.
  • Thornton begins by thanking her for putting herself in harm's way for him. She quickly answers that she would have done it for anyone. This comment slows Thornton down, but doesn't stop him from getting to the point.
  • Thornton asks Margaret to marry him. She rejects him immediately and he goes from smitten to angry. He can tell that she's offended by the very thought of someone like him loving her.
  • Before Thornton leaves, Margaret thinks she can see tears in his eyes. The final thing she tells herself is that she has nothing to feel bad about. Thornton is the one who thought he saw love where there was none.