A Pair of Blue Eyes · Chapter
XXV explained
Stephen Smith returns to Endelstow and, while waiting for nightfall, observes a couple in a boat.
What happens
Stephen Smith returns to Endelstow and, while waiting for nightfall, observes a couple in a boat. He follows them and witnesses Elfride with Henry Knight, confirming his fears of her faithlessness. He encounters the grieving Mrs. Jethway, who curses Elfride, and later hears the death knell tolling in the churchyard, where he discovers the Luxellian family vault open.
Themes in this chapter
Jealousy and Possessiveness
Stephen's torment upon seeing Elfride with Knight, and his bitter reflections on her faithlessness, highlight the destructive power of jealousy.
Fate and Coincidence
Stephen's chance encounter with Elfride and Knight in the boat, and the tolling of the death knell, underscore the role of fate in the characters' lives.
Sacrifice and Duty
Stephen's sense of duty to his parents and his work contrasts with his emotional turmoil over Elfride's betrayal.
Characters to notice
- Stephen Smith
Returns to Endelstow, observes Elfride with Knight, and is consumed by despair and jealousy.
- Elfride Swancourt
Seen with Henry Knight in the boat and later in the shrubbery, confirming her new attachment.
- Henry Knight
Accompanies Elfride in the boat and through the grounds, now her acknowledged lover.
- Mrs. Jethway
Confronts Stephen in the churchyard, cursing Elfride for her son's death and her faithlessness.
- Martin Cannister
Mentioned as the bell-ringer who would be in the belfry tolling the death knell.
Key passages
“A slow weight of despair, as distinct from a violent paroxysm as starvation from a mortal shot, filled him and wrung him body and soul.”
Stephen felt a deep, steady despair that was as different from a sudden outburst as starvation is from a gunshot wound.
Describes Stephen's profound emotional pain upon realizing Elfride's betrayal.
“That his rival should be Knight, whom once upon a time he had adored as a man is very rarely adored by another in modern times, and whom he loved now, added deprecation to sorrow, and cynicism to both.”
The fact that his rival was Knight, whom he had once admired intensely and still loved, made his sorrow even more bitter and cynical.
Highlights the irony and added pain of Stephen's rivalry with his former idol.
“The death-knell of an inhabitant of the eastern parish was being tolled. An unusual feature in the tolling was that it had not been begun according to the custom in Endelstow and other parishes in the neighbourhood.”
The bell was tolling for a death in the eastern parish, but it had started in an irregular way, not following the usual custom.
Notes the irregular tolling of the death knell, which foreshadows a significant event.