Lost Man’s Lane · Chapter
Epilogue explained
The epilogue presents excerpts from Althea Knollys's old diary, revealing her youthful infatuation with Charles Knollys, her disdain for Obadiah Trohm, and her eerie experiences in the Knollys mansion, including references to the phantom co
What happens
The epilogue presents excerpts from Althea Knollys's old diary, revealing her youthful infatuation with Charles Knollys, her disdain for Obadiah Trohm, and her eerie experiences in the Knollys mansion, including references to the phantom coach and the Flower Parlor. The diary breaks off abruptly, and the narrator reflects on the tragic events that followed—forgery, revenge, and Althea's untimely death.
Themes in this chapter
Superstition and the Supernatural
Althea writes of witches, a phantom coach, and a chilling sensation in the Flower Parlor, reflecting the family's haunted legacy.
Gender Roles and Social Expectations
Althea navigates suitors, her own volatility, and the pressure to conform to ideals of womanhood, contrasting with Meeley's steadiness.
Family Loyalty and Sacrifice
The diary hints at the tragic fate of Althea and her mother, tied to the Knollys family history and the phantom coach.
Characters to notice
- Althea Knollys
Diary author; expresses romantic interest in Charles Knollys and fear of the mansion's supernatural atmosphere.
- Charles Knollys
Object of Althea's affection; an able lawyer who argues about bonnets and seems reserved.
- Obadiah Trohm
Persistent suitor who visits Althea multiple times, causing her annoyance.
- Meeley Butterworth
Mentioned as a boarding-school friend who kept a diary; Althea contrasts her own volatility with Meeley's constancy.
- Old Mr. Knollys
Referred to as 'papa Knollys'; supports Althea in a disagreement about bonnets.
Key passages
“I never thought I should do so foolish a thing as begin a diary.”
Althea never expected to start a diary, considering it a foolish endeavor.
Opening line expressing her initial reluctance.
“I have seen my fate, and must talk to someone about him, if only to myself.”
Althea has met the man she believes is her destiny and feels compelled to discuss him, even if only with her diary.
Reveals her romantic interest in Charles Knollys.
“I almost wish I had some of Meeley’s responsible characteristics, instead of being the airiest, merriest, and most volatile being that ever tried to laugh down the grandeur of this dreary old house with its century of memories.”
Althea wishes she were more like the steady Meeley Butterworth, rather than her own flighty self trying to dispel the gloom of the old mansion.
Contrasts her personality with Meeley's and highlights the house's oppressive atmosphere.
“They say that the coach still travels the road just before some calamity to the family—a phantom coach which floats along in shadow, turning the air about it to mist that chills the marrow in the bones of the unfortunate who sees it.”
Legend holds that a ghostly coach appears on the road before a family disaster, bringing a chilling mist.
Describes the phantom coach superstition tied to the Knollys family.
“I won't have that smooth, persistent hypocrite pushing his way into my presence, when my whole heart and attention belong to a man who would love me if he only could get his own leave to do so.”
Althea resents Obadiah Trohm's intrusions, as her heart is set on Charles Knollys, who seems hesitant to love her.
Expresses her frustration with Trohm and her hope for Charles's affection.
“The forgery, the discovery of it by her suave but secret enemy, his unnatural revenge, and the never-dying enmity which led to the tragic events it has been my unhappy fortune to relate at such length.”
The narrator summarizes the aftermath: forgery, exposure by a hidden foe, revenge, and the ensuing tragedy that she has recounted.
Concluding reflection on Althea's fate and the story's events.
