# Explanations explained — A Strange Disappearance

> Chapter companion for A Strange Disappearance by Anna Katharine Green.

## What happens

Mr. Blake, overwhelmed with emotion, sends a note to Mrs. Daniels. Luttra bids a painful farewell to her father, who is taken away by detectives. She then explains to Mr. Blake, Mrs. Daniels, and the Countess De Mirac how she was forced to leave the house to protect her husband from her escaped convict father and brother, who had entered through a window for robbery and then blackmailed her. She recounts her self-inflicted wound, her escape attempt, and her subsequent weeks of imprisonment.

## Themes in this chapter

### Secrecy and Social Reputation

Luttra's secret marriage and her concealment of her family's criminal past are central to the chapter's revelations.

### Love and Sacrifice

Luttra's decision to leave and endure imprisonment to protect Mr. Blake demonstrates her sacrificial love.

### Family and Control

Luttra's father and brother attempt to control her through blackmail and threats, highlighting the theme of family as a source of oppression.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Blake

Overwrought with emotion, he sends a note to Mrs. Daniels and confronts Luttra, demanding an explanation.

### Luttra

Bids farewell to her father, then recounts her harrowing ordeal, including her self-inflicted wound and forced departure to protect Mr. Blake.

### Mrs. Daniels

Receives Mr. Blake's note, enters with the Countess, and expresses relief and concern for Luttra.

### Countess De Mirac

Enters the room veiled and cloaked, accompanying Mrs. Daniels.

### Mr. Gryce

Observes from the window and arranges for the removal of the prisoners.

## Key lines

> I cannot endure this

Mr. Blake exclaims that he can no longer bear the emotional strain.

_Mr. Blake's distress is evident as he speaks._

> I shall never forget that your blood runs in my veins together with that of my gentle-hearted, never-to-be-forgotten mother.

Luttra tells her father she will always remember her lineage from him and her mother.

_Luttra's farewell to her father is poignant and forgiving._

> It was to save me, you consented to follow them?

Mr. Blake asks if Luttra left with the convicts to protect him.

_Mr. Blake realizes Luttra's motive for leaving._

> I found myself forced that night to inflict upon myself a little wound.

Luttra admits she deliberately cut her own arm.

_Luttra explains the scar on her arm._

> The gate was locked... You remember it closes with a spring, and can only be opened by means of a key which I did not have.

Mr. Blake explains that the gate was locked and he lacked the key to open it.

_Mr. Blake clarifies why he could not follow Luttra._

## Links

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