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Hadrian the Seventh · Chapter

XII explained

Mrs.

What happens

Mrs. Crowe and Jerry Sant remain in Rome, plotting blackmail against Hadrian. Mrs. Crowe observes Hadrian's charity, becomes a Catholic, and cultivates the English community. She discovers Hadrian visiting a private house, fueling her jealousy and determination.

Themes in this chapter

  • Power and Corruption

    Mrs. Crowe's blackmail scheme and her manipulation of religious piety for personal gain.

  • Religion and Hypocrisy

    Mrs. Crowe feigns conversion to Catholicism while plotting against the Pope.

  • Love and Sacrifice

    Mrs. Crowe's obsessive love for George Arthur Rose drives her actions, though it is twisted into jealousy and manipulation.

Characters to notice

  • Mrs. Crowe

    Observes Hadrian's charity, becomes a Catholic, and spies on Hadrian's private visit.

  • Jerry Sant

    Stays at the Hotel Nike, approves of Mrs. Crowe's scheme, and keeps socialism in the background.

  • Hadrian VII

    Seen giving charity, visiting a private house incognito, and returning to the Vatican.

  • George Arthur Rose

    Mentioned in Mrs. Crowe's past; observed taking tea in a private house.

  • Father Dawkins

    Exhorts Mrs. Crowe in the convent parlour.

Key passages

  • “She would have sacrificed her new wig for one of those coins.”

    She would have given anything for one of the coins Hadrian gave to the poor.

    Highlights Mrs. Crowe's envy and materialism.

  • “She felt the distant inflexible eyes on her bent head: 'God bless you, daughter; go in peace' dropped on her; and Hadrian passed on.”

    Hadrian's gaze was cold and distant as he blessed her briefly and moved on.

    Shows Hadrian's impersonal charity and Mrs. Crowe's sense of rejection.

  • “She conceived the notion that she would stand a better chance of coming into contact with the Pope by means of some of the English in Rome.”

    She thought that befriending English residents in Rome would help her get closer to the Pope.

    Illustrates her strategic thinking and social maneuvering.

  • “She had the Liblabs and their four pounds a week to support her: she had (what she called) the secret history of the Pope in her possession: she was capturing the pious English.”

    She relied on the Liblabs' allowance, claimed to know the Pope's secrets, and was winning over devout English people.

    Summarizes her resources and tactics for blackmail.

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