# Sir Marmaduke at Home explained — He Knew He Was Right > Chapter companion for He Knew He Was Right by Anthony Trollope. ## What happens Nora Rowley waits anxiously for Hugh Stanbury to visit after telling him to wait until her parents are in England. When he finally arrives, the circumstances are unfortunate: Sir Marmaduke is in a foul mood due to troubles at the Colonial Office and a quarrel with Mr. Outhouse, while Lady Rowley and Emily are out visiting Lady Milborough to discuss the kidnapped child. Nora introduces Hugh awkwardly to her father, who is unimpressed. Later, Lady Rowley learns of Nora's rejection of Mr. Glascock for Hugh, a penniless journalist, and is dismayed. When Hugh meets the family, he hears of the child's abduction and offers to help find the boy, suggesting he might discover where Trevelyan is hiding him. ## Themes in this chapter ### Class and Professional Identity Lady Rowley's dismay at Hugh Stanbury's profession as a penny newspaper writer contrasts with the wealth and status of Mr. Glascock, highlighting class anxieties. ### Family Loyalty and Sacrifice Nora suppresses her own romantic hopes due to her sister Emily's grief and her father's troubles, showing family loyalty overriding personal desires. ### Madness and Obsession Trevelyan's kidnapping of his child is described as a dastardly deed, with hints that he 'hardly knows what he does,' suggesting obsessive behavior. ## Character check-ins ### Nora Rowley Anxiously awaits Hugh Stanbury's visit; introduces him to her father under difficult circumstances; reflects on her rejection of Mr. Glascock. ### Hugh Stanbury Visits Nora after a ten-day delay; learns of the child's abduction and offers to help find the boy. ### Sir Marmaduke Rowley Cross and out of temper due to Colonial Office troubles and a quarrel with Mr. Outhouse; unimpressed by Hugh Stanbury's visit. ### Emily Trevelyan Away visiting Lady Milborough with Lady Rowley; later tells Hugh about the kidnapping of her child. ### Lady Rowley Learns of Nora's rejection of Mr. Glascock for Hugh; dismayed by Hugh's precarious profession as a penny newspaper writer. ### Louis Trevelyan Referenced as the father who kidnapped the child and communicates through detective Bozzle. ### Mr. Bozzle Mentioned as the former policeman through whom the Rowleys must communicate with Trevelyan. ### Mr. Glascock Referenced as the wealthy suitor Nora rejected for Hugh Stanbury. ## Key lines > Nora Rowley had told her lover that there was to be no further communication between them till her father and mother should be in England; but in telling him so, had so frankly confessed her own affection for him and had so sturdily promised to be true to him, that no lover could have been reasonably aggrieved by such an interdiction. Nora had told Hugh they must not communicate until her parents returned, but she had done so while openly declaring her love and promising loyalty, so he had no reason to complain. _Nora's condition for silence is softened by her affectionate confession._ > It seemed to her that if she were now deserted by him, all the world would be over for her. Nora felt that if Hugh abandoned her, her life would be ruined. _Nora's despair at the thought of losing Hugh._ > Lady Rowley was not worse than are other mothers, not more ambitious, or more heartless, or more worldly. She was a good mother, loving her children, and thoroughly anxious for their welfare. Lady Rowley was a typical, caring mother who wanted the best for her children, not unusually ambitious or cold-hearted. _The narrator defends Lady Rowley's maternal intentions despite her worldly concerns._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/he_knew_he_was_right_se/chapters/lxiii-sir-marmaduke-at-home - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/he_knew_he_was_right_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/he_knew_he_was_right_se/chapters