In Part 4, the two sisters are reunited in old age, and the narrative reflects upon how their very different lives nonetheless echo each other. Constance remains in Bursley, engaging with the town’s changes and asserting her moral presence. Sophia returns to England and reconnects with her roots, intertwining lives with her sister one last time. Both women confront the passage of time, the constancy of character, and the fragility of existence. Constance dies first, and Sophia follows, concluding the novel with elegiac reflections on life, fate, and enduring identity.
