Marlborough Buildings

Marlborough Buildings is a prestigious residential address in Bath, occupied by Colonel Wallis and his wife. The Wallises are introduced to Sir Walter Elliot's family through Mr. Elliot, who arranges the acquaintance. Colonel Wallis is described as a highly respectable man, perfectly the gentleman, and not ill-looking, living in very good style. Sir Walter thinks much of Mrs. Wallis, who is said to be an excessively pretty woman, beautiful, and he longs to see her, hoping she might make some amends for the many plain faces he continually passes in the streets. The Wallises' home becomes a setting for social maneuvering: Mr. Elliot speaks of Mrs. Wallis as a most charming woman, quite worthy of being known in Camden Place, and as soon as she recovers from her confinement, they are to be acquainted. The building also functions as a node in a chain of gossip that reveals Mr. Elliot's true character. Nurse Rooke, who nurses Mrs. Wallis, reports to Mrs. Smith that Mr. Elliot has designs on Anne, information that Mrs. Wallis, in the overflowing spirits of her recovery, repeats to her nurse. This intelligence, passed through Nurse Rooke to Mrs. Smith, ultimately exposes Mr. Elliot's duplicity. The Wallises themselves are a study in contrast: Colonel Wallis is a sensible, careful, discerning sort of character, but his very pretty silly wife tells him things he had better not, and he repeats it all to her. Anne finds amusement in understanding them, and the building thus represents both the allure of fashionable society and the porous boundaries of its secrets.