A Strange Disappearance · Chapter
IV: Thompson's Story explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Gryce and the narrator investigate the disappearance of the sewing-girl from Mr. Blake's house. Mr. Blake proves unhelpful, claiming he knows nothing about the girl. The narrator learns from a patrolman that Thompson saw a woman flee from Mr. Blake's gate after seeing the master's face through the bars. The narrator gathers background on Mr. Blake's reclusive habits and his past connection to his cousin Evelyn Blake, now the Countess De Mirac.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Social Reputation
Mr. Blake's secretive behavior and his family's eccentricities highlight the theme of hidden lives and public facades.
Detection and Truth
Mr. Gryce and the narrator piece together clues from Thompson's story and Mr. Blake's past to uncover the mystery.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Gryce
Leads the investigation, deduces the mystery centers on Mr. Blake's household.
- Mr. Blake
Dismisses knowledge of the sewing-girl and shows haughty demeanor; later seen peering through the gate at night.
- Thompson
Relates a story of seeing a woman flee from Mr. Blake's gate after glimpsing the master's face.
- Countess De Mirac
Mentioned as Mr. Blake's former flame, now a wealthy widow in New York, on bad terms with him.
- Miss Evelyn Blake
Identified as the cousin who married the Count De Mirac; her portrait resembles the missing girl.
Key passages
“An affair of some mystery... Why a girl should choose such a method of descent as that... to leave a house of which she had been an inmate for a year, baffles me.”
Mr. Gryce expresses confusion about why the girl would use a ladder to leave a house she had lived in for a year.
Highlights the puzzling nature of the disappearance.
“I do not concern myself with servants after they have left me.”
Mr. Blake states he takes no interest in servants once they are gone.
Shows Mr. Blake's detachment and possible concealment.
“He says he tried the gate after that, but found it locked.”
Thompson checked the gate after the woman fled and discovered it was locked.
Key detail from Thompson's story suggesting a planned or secret encounter.