] What did she see in him, do you think? Was it just a love match?

Well, she was in her mid twenties, and had a fortune of only 2,000 pounds. Her father, recently passed away, was out of the picture. Why not marry the handsome proctor?

]did she give up a grand life to live in comparative poverty for ever?

I'm wondering if her life would have been grand with such a dowry. He was witty and handsome. And later they were reluctant to use the popular method of birth control, separate bedrooms, even after seven children and the expenses that came with them.

I tend to believe it was that old devil, chemistry.