Vanity Fair: Chapter 22 Summary & Analysis

Mr. Osborne is sure that he can last long enough for George’s resolve to break. Later, on a cold rainy day in April, George is in a coffee-room preparing to get married, and Dobbin is there with him. George admits he couldn’t sleep the previous night. They head over to the church where Jos tells George he’s five minutes late.

Amelia wears a brown silk dress with a white veil that Jos gave her and a gold watch and chain that Dobbin gave her. Mrs. Sedley cries a lot in her pew at the church, and Mr. Sedley doesn’t attend. The church is mostly empty, so when it gets to the point in the ceremony where George says, “I will,” his words echo through the whole church. Afterward, George and Amelia sign their registry, and George thanks Dobbin for all his help. After that, Jos invites Dobbin to go out feasting, but he isn’t in the mood.

Ten days after the wedding, Jos, George, and Rawdon are walking near Brighton. They talk about various young women in town, then they talk about how to spend time while Amelia and Becky are away on a carriage ride. As the men are walking, they happen to run into the carriage that the women are riding in. George and Amelia are in Brighton on their honeymoon, and Jos, Rawdon, and Becky are also taking a vacation. From then on, the two couples begin spending time together, since they had so much in common.

Rawdon tells the group about how shortly after his marriage, Becky went through his accounts and started keeping track of all his debts. During the early days of his marriage, he manages to temporarily solve his money problems by winning several billiards matches against George. One day in Brighton, as the men are walking around, they happen to spot Dobbin, who had promised to visit, too, but was delayed. Dobbin looks unusually pale. He says he just saw Mr. Osborne. More importantly, however, Dobbin just learned that he, George, and the rest of the army must all head to Belgium within the week.