XX: The Bond That Unites explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Love and Sacrifice

  Luttra tears up the will to prove that love, not money, is the bond uniting her and Mr. Blake.

• Family and Control

  The will represents the deceased father's attempt to control his son's marriage and the family legacy.

• Secrecy and Social Reputation

  Mrs. Daniels kept the will secret for a year, and the Countess artfully deflects questions about Luttra's origins.

Characters to notice

• Mr. Blake

  Reveals his father's will and urges Luttra to marry him.

• Luttra

  Tears up the will, insisting love alone should unite them; hesitates to accept her position.

• Mrs. Daniels

  Produces the will and urges Luttra to reconsider her decision.

• Countess De Mirac

  Hosts the wedding reception and urges Luttra to accept her role.

Key passages

• “love alone, with the hope and confidence it gives, shall be the bond to draw us together and make of the two separate planes on which we stand, a common ground where we can meet and be happy.”

  Only love, with its hope and trust, can unite us and bridge the differences between us.

  Luttra declares that love, not wealth, is the true foundation for their marriage.

• “I, who have borne the name of Blake, and who am still the proudest of them all at heart, I, the Countess De Mirac, cousin to your husband there, repeat what this good woman has said, and in holding out my hand to you, ask you to make my cousin happy and his family contented by assuming that position in his household which the law as well as his love accords you.”

  As a proud Blake myself, I join Mrs. Daniels in urging you to take your rightful place as my cousin's wife, as both law and love require.

  The Countess De Mirac adds her voice to persuade Luttra to accept her role.