Resume of a Horse Dealer's Daughter

Resume of the Horse Dealer's Daughter

The story was written by D.H Lawrence in 1922 and tells the story of a woman, Mabel Pervin, whose father was a large horse dealer. The father, Joseph Pervin, had become fairly successful with his profession as a horse dealer. Unfortunately things had declined and he died leaving his three sons: Joe, Fred Henry and Malcolm and one daughter Mabel with a huge debt.

The three brothers and Mabel lives at a farm consisting of a stable-yard and a house-yard. The stables are no longer full of horses, because of the debt that needs to be paid. The future is grim for Pervins. Luckily for Joe, the eldest of thirty-three, his father-in-law provides him with a job while Fred Henry and Malcolm seem to take care of themselves. Mabel on the other hand is twenty-seven and unmarried. She takes care of the house and waits on her brothers but has no plans for her future. According to her brother her only plan is to stay with her sister or go in training for nurse. But for Mabel the only thing that matters is her mother who died when Mabel was fourteen. Being around her grave gives Mabel an immediate contact with the world of her mother she loved very much. The situation seems too severe for Mabel, and in a weak moment of distress Mabel tries to drown herself in a pond near the grounds of the Pervin estate. Luckily, Jack Fergusson a friend of the family and doctor notices Mabel in the pond before it is too late. He goes into the pond and saves her. Earlier that day Mabel and Jack had shared a mesmerizing moment, and while Jack tries to wake Mabel up from her accident, he then becomes aware of Mabel and his suddenly rising love for her. Though it is against his professional honor to approach patients in such way, he cannot deny that his heart aches for Mabel and he wants to marry her.