# I: The Well-Digger’s Statement explained — Blind Corner

> Chapter companion for Blind Corner by Dornford Yates.

## What happens

The narrator, Richard William Chandos, recounts his return from Biarritz to England, stopping on the road near Chartres where he overhears a heated argument between two men, one named Ellis and another who reveals a secret about a treasure. Chandos later meets with his friend Hanbury and a man named Mansel, who proposes a plan to acquire Wagensburg and lift a hidden treasure, warning of Ellis's dangerous nature. They agree to follow Mansel's conditions and begin preparations, including hiring servants Bell and Rowley.

## Themes in this chapter

### Greed and Obsession

The treasure at Wagensburg drives the plot, with Ellis's obsession and the partners' desire for wealth.

### Deception and Disguise

The secret of the treasure is hidden, and the characters plan to acquire it covertly, with Ellis's past involving betrayal.

### Adventure and Risk

The venture to acquire Wagensburg and lift the treasure is described as a risky undertaking, with potential danger from Ellis.

## Character check-ins

### Richard William Chandos

Narrator and protagonist; returns from Biarritz, overhears the argument, and joins Mansel's venture.

### Carson Hanbury

Chandos's friend and flatmate; participates in the plan and receives a similar note from Mansel about hiring a servant.

### Jonathan Mansel

Older man who proposes the plan to acquire Wagensburg and lift the treasure; sets conditions for obedience.

### Ellis

One of the men overheard arguing; a former partner of the other man, with a criminal past and dangerous reputation.

### Rowley

Hired as a servant for the venture; described as honest and fit, with a loyal disposition.

### Bill

Mentioned as a servant candidate; not detailed in this chapter.

## Key lines

> You, by hell,” he was crying, and I think it was the bitterness and the enmity with which he kept investing the pronoun that brought me so wide awake.

The man's angry tone and the way he emphasized 'you' startled me awake.

_Chandos is awakened by the argument between Ellis and the stranger._

> Your confinement,” said the other coolly, “seems to have affected your brain. The secret’s mine, and you know it.

The other man dismisses Ellis's claim, suggesting prison has made him irrational and asserting sole ownership of the secret.

_The stranger reveals that Ellis has been imprisoned and that the secret belongs to him alone._

> The first thing to do is to buy the property. Until we’re the landlords, the treasure is not ours to lift.

Mansel explains that they must first purchase Wagensburg to have legal claim to the treasure.

_Mansel outlines the initial phase of their plan._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/blind_corner_se/chapters/i-the-well-digger-s-statement
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/blind_corner_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/blind_corner_se/chapters