# Chapter XXVI explained — Cakes and Ale

> Chapter companion for Cakes and Ale by W. Somerset Maugham.

## What happens

The narrator walks back to Blackstable after visiting Mrs. Driffield, reflecting on his memories of Edward Driffield. He recalls receiving a letter from Rosie Driffield (now Rosie Iggulden) in New York, and visits her at her apartment in Yonkers. They reminisce about the past, and Rosie explains why she ran away with George Kemp, describing him as 'always such a perfect gentleman.' The chapter reveals Rosie's current life and her contentment.

## Themes in this chapter

### Memory and Nostalgia

The narrator's walk and reflections on the past, and his reunion with Rosie, highlight the persistence and transformation of memory.

### Love and Sexuality

Rosie's explanation of her love for George Kemp and her contentment without remarriage explores the nature of romantic attachment.

## Character check-ins

### The Narrator

Reflects on his memories of Driffield and visits Rosie in New York.

### Rosie Driffield

Now Rosie Iggulden, living in Yonkers, aged seventy, still vivacious and candid about her past.

### Edward Driffield

Subject of the narrator's recollections; his first marriage and literary reputation are central.

### Lord George Kemp

Rosie's second husband, who fled with her to America; described as a 'perfect gentleman'.

## Key lines

> Do they not tell us that style is the art of omission?

The narrator muses that good writing often involves leaving things out.

_Reflects on the craft of writing._

> He was always such a perfect gentleman.

Rosie explains that George Kemp's gentlemanly demeanor was his most appealing quality.

_Rosie's justification for her elopement._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters/xxvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cakes_and_ale_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/cakes_and_ale_se/chapters