Lord Arthur Savile’s Crime and Other Stories · Chapter
The Model Millionaire explained
Hughie Erskine, a charming but impoverished young man, visits his friend Alan Trevor's studio and, out of pity, gives a sovereign to an old beggar model.
What happens
Hughie Erskine, a charming but impoverished young man, visits his friend Alan Trevor's studio and, out of pity, gives a sovereign to an old beggar model. He later learns that the beggar is actually Baron Hausberg, a wealthy millionaire. Impressed by Hughie's generosity, the Baron later sends him a wedding gift of £10,000, enabling Hughie to marry his beloved Laura Merton.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Wealth
The story contrasts poverty and wealth, highlighting how Hughie's lack of money prevents his marriage, while the Baron's wealth enables a happy ending.
Appearance vs. Reality
The beggar model appears poor but is actually a millionaire; Hughie's act of charity is based on a mistaken perception.
Irony and Absurdity
The irony that a millionaire poses as a beggar and is rewarded by a poor man's charity, leading to a wedding gift that solves Hughie's problems.
Characters to notice
- Hughie Erskine
The protagonist, a handsome but poor young man who gives a sovereign to a beggar model out of pity.
- Alan Trevor
A painter and Hughie's friend, who reveals that the beggar model is actually the wealthy Baron Hausberg.
- Baron Hausberg
A millionaire who poses as a beggar for a painting and later rewards Hughie's kindness with a £10,000 cheque.
- Laura Merton
Hughie's beloved, the daughter of a retired Colonel; she scolds Hughie for his extravagance but loves him.
- Mr. Merton
Laura's father, a retired Colonel who insists Hughie must have £10,000 before marrying Laura.
Key passages
“Unless one is wealthy there is no use in being a charming fellow. Romance is the privilege of the rich, not the profession of the unemployed.”
Being charming is pointless without wealth; love is a luxury only the rich can afford.
Opening lines establishing the story's theme of wealth and romance.
“What you call rags I call romance. What seems poverty to you is picturesqueness to me.”
You see rags as poverty, but I see them as artistic beauty.
Alan Trevor explains the artist's perspective on the beggar's appearance.
“Millionaire models are rare enough; but, by Jove, model millionaires are rarer still!”
Rich people who pose as models are uncommon, but a millionaire who is a role model is even rarer.
Closing line by Alan Trevor, praising Baron Hausberg's generosity.