# Epilogue explained — Lost Man’s Lane > Chapter companion for Lost Man’s Lane by Anna Katharine Green. ## 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. ## Character check-ins ### 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 lines > 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._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters/epilogue - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/lost_man_s_lane_se/chapters