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VANITY FAIR William Thackeray

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Vanity Fair
W I L L I A M T H AC K E R AY

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6 6 6
4 BOOKWORMS

4 BOOKWORMS
4

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V A NI T Y FA I R

Vanity Fair is a very vain, wicked, foolish place, full of

all sorts of falseness and pretence. It is a place where
you gamble and get into debt, and wait for your rich
aunt to die. A place where you swear undying love to
your sweetheart, and write a love letter to someone
else the next day. It is a place where cunning and lies
bring rewards. It is a place where men go to war, and
women fall in love, a place of laughter, tears, danger,
and excitement . . . It is 1815 in London and Brighton,
Brussels and Paris.

Becky Sharp and Amelia Sedley are starting out on the

great adventure of Vanity Fair. Each will find a husband,
but how long will it last? Who will wear diamonds, who
will go hungry? Will they be faithful, foolish, neglected,
devoted? Who will sew banknotes into her dress and
follow a victorious army to Paris? Who will go home to
her mother and weep in misery? And their friends and
relations . . . Will Joseph Sedley be a fool all his life? Will
Rawdon Crawley learn the truth? Will William Dobbin
get his heart’s desire?

‘Oh, the vanity and folly of human wishes! Which of us is

happy in this world? Which of us has our heart’s desire?
Or, having it, is satisfied?’

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o x fo r d b ook w or m s l i b r a r y
Classics

Vanity Fair
Stage 6 (2500 headwords)

Series Editor: Jennifer Bassett

Founder Editor: Tricia Hedge
Activities Editors: Jennifer Bassett and Christine Lindop

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william makepeace thackeray

Vanity Fair
Retold by
Diane Mowat

Illustrations by William Thackeray

from the engravings in the 1847 edition

oxford university press

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1
Great Clarendon Street, Oxford ox2 6dp
Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford.
It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship,
and education by publishing worldwide in
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With offices in
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oxford and oxford english are registered trade marks of
Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries
This simplified edition © Oxford University Press 2008
Database right Oxford University Press (maker)
First published in Oxford Bookworms 2004
10 11
No unauthorized photocopying
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced,
stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means,
without the prior permission in writing of Oxford University Press,
or as expressly permitted by law, or under terms agreed with the appropriate
reprographics rights organization. Enquiries concerning reproduction
outside the scope of the above should be sent to the ELT Rights Department,
Oxford University Press, at the address above
You must not circulate this book in any other binding or cover
and you must impose this same condition on any acquirer
Any websites referred to in this publication are in the public domain and
their addresses are provided by Oxford University Press for information only.
Oxford University Press disclaims any responsibility for the content
isbn 978 0 19 479269 1
A complete recording of this Bookworms edition of Vanity Fair is available
on an audio pack isbn 978 0 19 479462 6
Printed in China
a cknowl e d ge m e nts
The illustrations on pages 9, 14, 23, 33, 41, 52, 60, 67, 76, 84, 94, 103, 118
are by kind permission of the Bodleian Library, Oxford.
All illustrations are by William Makepeace Thackeray
and are from the engravings in the 1847 edition of Vanity Fair.

Word count (main text): 32,940 words

For more information on the Oxford Bookworms Library,

visit www.oup.com/elt/gradedreaders

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C ONT E NT S

story introduction i
people in this story viii

1 The young ladies leave school 1

2 Becky Sharp makes new friends 11
3 Amelia Sedley nearly loses hope 21
4 A pleasant stay in Brighton 31
5 Waiting for war in Brussels 40
6 Mothers, sons, and other relations 53
7 Reunions, quarrels, and other family business 61
8 The rise and fall of our heroines’ fortunes 71
9 Colonel Crawley’s troubles 83
10 Major Dobbin returns from India 93
11 A meeting with an old friend 101
12 Births, marriages, and deaths 112

glossary 121
activities: Before Reading 124
activities: While Reading 125
activities: After Reading 128
about the author 132
about the bookworms library 134

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P E O P L E I N T HI S ST OR Y
Miss Rebecca (Becky) Sharp

Miss Amelia (Emmy) Sedley

Mr Joseph (Jos) Sedley, Amelia’s brother
Mr John Sedley, father of Amelia and Joseph
Mrs Sedley, his wife

Mr George Osborne, a lieutenant in the army; later, a captain

Georgy, George’s son
Mr John Osborne, father of George Osborne, and
grandfather of Georgy
Miss Jane Osborne
Miss Maria Osborne }
George’s sisters, and Georgy’s aunts

Mr William Dobbin, a captain in the army; later, a major

Miss Dobbin, William’s sister

Sir Pitt Crawley, a baronet

Mr Pitt (later, Sir Pitt) Crawley, Sir Pitt’s older son (by his
first wife)
Lady Jane Crawley, Pitt Crawley’s wife
Mr Rawdon Crawley, Sir Pitt’s younger son (by his first
wife), a captain in the army; later, a colonel
Young Rawdon (Rawdy), Rawdon’s son
Lady Crawley, Sir Pitt’s second wife, mother of Rose and
Violet
Miss Matilda Crawley, Sir Pitt’s unmarried sister, and
Rawdon’s aunt
Miss Briggs, paid companion to Miss Crawley
Mr Bute Crawley, Sir Pitt’s brother
Mrs Bute Crawley, Mr Bute’s wife

Lord Steyne, a nobleman

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V 1
The young ladies leave school

O ne sunny morning in June, early in the 1800s, Miss Amelia

Sedley and Miss Rebecca Sharp left school. The carriage
which took them away from Miss Pinkerton’s school for young
ladies was filled with gifts and flowers for Amelia, for everyone
loved her; but nobody cried when Rebecca left.
We are going to see a great deal of Amelia, so there is no harm
in saying straight away that she was a dear little creature. She is
not a heroine because her nose was rather short and her face was
too round, though it shone with rosy health. She had a lovely
smile and her eyes were bright with good humour, except when
they were filled with tears, which happened a great deal too often
because she had the kindest heart in the world. And when she left
school she did not know whether to cry or not. She was glad to
go home, but she was very sad to leave her friends at school.
Well, at last the goodbyes were over and the carriage drove
away. In her hand Amelia held a letter from Miss Pinkerton,
the school’s headmistress, which was full of praise for Amelia’s
educational achievements and the sweetness of her nature.
Amelia’s companion, Miss Rebecca Sharp, had no letter from
Miss Pinkerton, and was not at all sad to leave school. Indeed,
she was delighted.
‘I hate the place,’ she said. ‘I never want to see it again! I wish
it were at the bottom of the river, with Miss Pinkerton too.’

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Vanity Fair

Amelia was shocked. ‘Oh, Rebecca!’ she cried. ‘How can you
have such wicked thoughts?’
As you will guess, Rebecca was not a kind or forgiving
person. She said that the world treated her very badly – though
it was quite possible that she deserved the treatment she got.
Her father was an artist, who had given drawing lessons to
the young ladies at Miss Pinkerton’s school. He was a clever
man and a pleasant companion, but was always in debt and had
too great a fondness for the bottle. When he was drunk, he used
to beat his wife and daughter. He had married a French dancer,
who had taught her daughter to speak perfect French. She had
died young, leaving Rebecca to her father’s care.
And when Rebecca was seventeen, her father died. On his
deathbed he wrote to Miss Pinkerton, begging her to look after
his orphan daughter. So Miss Pinkerton employed Rebecca to
speak French to the young ladies. In return, Rebecca lived in
the school, was paid a few pounds a year, and was allowed to
attend classes when she was free.
Rebecca, or Becky, as she was often called, was small and
thin, with a pale face and light red hair. She usually kept her
head down, but when she looked up, her green eyes were large
and attractive, especially to men. Next to the tall, healthy young
ladies in the school, Becky Sharp looked like a child. But being
poor and in debt had taught her many adult lessons. She knew
how to deal with angry shopkeepers demanding their money, and
how to charm them into providing one more meal. Her father,
who was very proud of her lively mind, had liked to have her at
his drinking parties, though the conversation of his wild friends
was hardly suitable for a young girl. But she had never been a girl,
she said; she had been a woman since she was eight years old.

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The young ladies leave school

Rebecca hated the school. She argued and fought with Miss
Pinkerton, and was jealous of the young ladies there. After the
freedom of her father’s house, the school felt like a prison, and
she was soon making plans for her escape.
Her only friend was Amelia Sedley, and when Amelia left
school at the age of seventeen, Rebecca, now aged nineteen,
left school too. She had obtained a post as a governess to the
daughters of Sir Pitt Crawley, to whose house she would go after
spending a few weeks with Miss Sedley’s family.
By the time the carriage arrived at the Sedleys’ house in
Russell Square, Amelia had forgotten her sadness and was
happy to be home again. She took great pleasure in showing
Rebecca every room in the house, her piano, all her books, her
dresses, her jewellery, and the wonderful presents which her
brother Joseph had brought back for her from India.
‘It must be delightful to have a brother,’ said Rebecca. ‘He’s
very rich, I expect, if he’s been in India. Is his wife very pretty?’
‘Oh yes, Joseph is wealthy, but he isn’t married,’ Amelia said.
‘Oh, what a pity!’ said Rebecca. ‘I was sure you said he was
married, and I was hoping to meet your nieces and nephews.’
But the thought that was really going through Rebecca’s
mind was this: ‘If Mr Joseph Sedley is rich and unmarried, why
shouldn’t I marry him? I have only a few weeks, to be sure, but
there’s no harm in trying.’
Should we blame Miss Sharp for her marriage ambitions? No,
for we must remember that poor Rebecca had no kind mother
to arrange this delicate business for her, and that if she did not
get a husband for herself, there was no one else to do it for her.
So Rebecca became even more affectionate to Amelia,
thanking her with tears in her eyes for the presents which her

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Vanity Fair

dear friend had given her. And when the dinner-bell rang, she
went downstairs with her arm round her friend’s waist, as is the
habit of young ladies who love each other dearly.
In the drawing-room they found a large, fat man, fashionably
dressed in bright colours, sitting by the fire reading the
newspaper. As the young ladies entered, he stood up quickly,
and his face went red in alarm and embarrassment.
‘It’s only your sister, Joseph,’ said Amelia, laughing. ‘I’ve
finished school, you know, and this is my friend, Miss Sharp.
You’ve heard me talk about her.’
‘No, never,’ said Joseph in great confusion. ‘That is, yes –
what very cold weather we’re having, Miss—’, and he began to
stir up the fire, although it was the middle of June.
‘He’s very handsome,’ Rebecca whispered, rather loudly.
‘Oh, do you think so?’ said Amelia. ‘I’ll tell him.’
‘No, please don’t!’ cried Miss Sharp, stepping back and
keeping her eyes fixed modestly on the carpet.
Joseph Sedley was twelve years older than his sister, and
worked in Bengal, in a very isolated place, for the East India
Company. But he became ill, and was sent back to London,
where he decided to enjoy all the pleasures he had missed when
he went to India. So he had his own apartment, drove his horses
in the park, ate in fashionable restaurants, and went to the
theatre. But he had no friends. He was fat, lazy, and vain, and
the sight of a lady frightened him tremendously.
Becky Sharp would have to be very clever indeed to catch
such a man for a husband. Her first moves, though, showed
considerable skill. ‘I must be very quiet,’ she thought, ‘and
very interested in India.’ And all through dinner, she paid great
attention to everything Joseph said.

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The young ladies leave school

After dinner, when the ladies had gone up to the drawing-

room, old Mr Sedley laughed, and said to his son, ‘Take care,
Jos. That girl is planning to catch you for a husband.’
‘Nonsense!’ Joseph replied. But he could not help thinking
about her and the way she had looked at him with her beautiful
green eyes when he had picked up her handkerchief. ‘She
dropped it twice,’ he thought. ‘And is that her singing now in
the drawing-room? Shall I go up and see?’
But his shyness overcame him, and he quietly slipped away
from the house. From the window Mrs Sedley saw him go. ‘Miss
Sharp has frightened him away,’ she remarked.
It was three days before Joseph returned to the house, and
during that time Rebecca never mentioned his name. She was
full of grateful respect for Mrs Sedley, laughed at all Mr Sedley’s
jokes, and was delighted with every excursion. When Amelia
had a headache, Rebecca would not go out without her. Her
green eyes filled with tears. ‘Dear, dear Emmy,’ she said. ‘How
could I go out and leave you? You have shown a poor orphan
what happiness and love are for the first time in her life.’
In fact, Becky Sharp won the hearts of all the family.
On the day that Joseph reappeared, Amelia reminded her
brother that he had promised to take her to the Royal Gardens
at Vauxhall, which was a very popular place of entertainment.
‘The young ladies must have a gentleman each,’ said Amelia’s
father. ‘Jos will forget all about Emmy if he’s looking after Miss
Sharp. Ask George Osborne if he’ll come.’
He and his wife exchanged little smiles, and Amelia looked
down and blushed as only a young girl of seventeen can blush –
and as Miss Rebecca Sharp had never blushed in her life.
But on the night of the Vauxhall party, it rained heavily, and

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Vanity Fair

the young people had to postpone their excursion. They spent

a comfortable evening at home instead. The Sedleys had known
George Osborne all his life, and it was accepted in both families
that he and Amelia would marry one day. In fact, the marriage
settlement had already been agreed between the two fathers.
So it was a very informal evening, and when Amelia and
George went off to the piano in the back drawing-room, Becky
and Joseph were left alone. Joseph was surprised to find that he
could talk to Becky quite easily. She asked him many questions
about India and listened admiringly to all his stories.
‘Promise me that you will never go on one of those dreadful
tiger hunts,’ she begged him, her green eyes filled with fear.
Joseph laughed bravely. ‘Nonsense, Miss Sharp. The danger
only makes it more exciting.’ He had only once been on a tiger
hunt, when he had indeed nearly died – of terror.
Later, Rebecca, whose singing was as excellent as her French,
sang a song about an orphan, her voice trembling a little over
the sad ending. Everyone was reminded of Rebecca’s own
orphan state and her uncertain future in life.
‘Such a beautiful song, dear Miss Sharp,’ said Joseph Sedley.
‘It almost made me cry.’
‘That’s because you have a kind heart, Mr Joseph,’ came the
soft reply, accompanied by an even softer glance.
Becky’s efforts were not wasted. Joseph’s mind was full of
thoughts of marriage. ‘She’ll make a fine little wife,’ he said to
himself. ‘I’ll ask the question at Vauxhall. Yes, I will!’
V
George Osborne came to lunch on the day of the Vauxhall party
and said to Mrs Sedley, ‘I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve asked
Dobbin to come here tonight and go with us to Vauxhall.’

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The young ladies leave school

Lieutenant George Osborne and Captain William Dobbin had

been at school together. Dobbin, a quiet, modest boy, had saved
Osborne from a beating, and from then on the two had been good
friends. They were now both in the same regiment in the army
and had not long returned from service in the West Indies.
‘Of course he can come,’ said Mrs Sedley. ‘I remember Dobbin
very well. Is he still as awkward and plain as ever?’
‘I’ll always like him,’ Amelia said, ‘however awkward he is.’
But her reason for liking Dobbin was that he was George’s friend.
‘He’s a fine fellow,’ said George, ‘even if he’s not very good-
looking.’ And he glanced towards the mirror, admiring his own
handsome face and curly black hair. He blushed a little when
he saw Rebecca watching him, and Rebecca thought, ‘And you
certainly know what a fine fellow you are, don’t you!’
That evening, when Amelia came into the sitting-room,
singing happily, and as fresh as a rose in a pretty white dress, a
very tall awkward gentleman in uniform stepped forward. He
had large hands and feet, and bowed clumsily.
He had arrived very quietly, and the ladies upstairs did not
know that he was there. Otherwise Amelia would not have
come into the room singing. As it was, the fresh little voice went
straight to William Dobbin’s heart – and stayed there. ‘What a
lucky fellow George Osborne is,’ he thought.
On the way to Vauxhall Gardens, Rebecca sat next to Joseph
in the carriage and George Osborne sat between Amelia and
Dobbin. Though nothing was said, everybody in the carriage
was sure that Joseph would propose to Becky that evening. And
when they stepped down from the carriage, Joseph took her on
his arm, and George and Amelia went off together.
Dobbin paid for them all, and then walked behind, content

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Vanity Fair

in his generous and unselfish way to see Amelia and George

so happy together. They had all promised to stay together, but
within ten minutes, of course, they had separated, and Rebecca
found herself alone with Joseph on one of the side walks. Now,
she thought, was the moment for Joseph to ask the question. A
few minutes earlier somebody had rudely pushed past Rebecca,
and she had fallen back with a little cry, into Mr Sedley’s arms.
This made him feel very loving towards her, and he told her
several of his Indian stories again – for the sixth time.
‘How I should like to see India!’ breathed Rebecca.
‘Would you really?’ Joseph asked eagerly, and the important
question must have been trembling on his lips, because he was
breathing very heavily. Rebecca placed her little hand on his
heart and she could feel it beating wildly.
Just at this interesting moment, however, the bell rang for
the start of the fireworks, and the lovers were surrounded by
crowds of hurrying people, and were forced to go with them.
Captain Dobbin walked round the Gardens alone. He thought
of joining the others for supper, but saw, when he passed in front
of their table, that they were all talking happily to each other, and
that their table was prepared for four only. They had forgotten
all about him, so he went away again. When he returned later,
he realized that Joseph had drunk too much, for he was talking
and laughing and singing very loudly. He had attracted a crowd
of people, who were gathering round to watch. In fact, George
was just about to hit one man who wanted to join the party, but
Dobbin arrived at that moment and sent the crowd away.
‘Good Heavens! Where have you been, Dobbin?’ said George.
Then, without waiting for a reply, he added, ‘Make yourself
useful. Look after Joseph, and I’ll take the ladies home.’

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The young ladies leave school

That night as she went up to bed, Rebecca said to herself, ‘He

must propose tomorrow. He called me his darling four times.
He must propose tomorrow.’

George was about to hit one man who wanted to join the party.

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But wine can be the ruin of marriage plans. The next day
Joseph had a terrible headache, and his condition was not
improved by a visit from George Osborne, who laughed at him
most unkindly. ‘What a fool you made of yourself last night,
Jos! Singing love songs, and crying all over Miss Sharp’s hand!’
George had been thinking about Joseph and Becky Sharp.
If he, George, was going to marry into the Sedley family, he
did not want his brother-in-law to marry a governess, a little
nobody, without money or social position. And so George
continued to laugh at Joseph and make cruel jokes about him.
The result of all this was that Joseph decided that he was too
ill to visit the young ladies, and the next day he sent a letter to
his sister, saying that when he recovered he planned to go to
Scotland for several months.
It was the death of Rebecca’s hopes. Kind-hearted Amelia
was very sad for her friend and cried a great deal, but it was now
clear to the rest of the Sedley family that the time had come for
Rebecca to leave. She made her preparations, and accepted all
Amelia’s parting gifts with just the right amount of hesitation.
Even George Osborne gave Rebecca a present, but he had made
too many unkind jokes about Joseph and the Vauxhall party.
‘I’m so grateful to him!’ Rebecca told Amelia, but in her heart
she was thinking, ‘George Osborne prevented my marriage.’ So
we can imagine just how grateful she was to George Osborne.
And so the final parting came. After many tears and promises
of undying friendship, both sincere and insincere, Rebecca and
Amelia said goodbye.

10

YOU HAVE REACHED THE END OF THE SAMPLE.

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