Questions explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Secrecy and Deception

  The knot of crape raises questions about hidden signals and the true nature of events at the Knollys mansion, with Miss Butterworth pondering whether it is a signal, a sentimental gesture, or mere coincidence.

• Isolation and Community

  The contrast between the gloomy, isolated Knollys house and the brighter village with Deacon Spear's cottage highlights the tension between seclusion and the outside world.

• Superstition and the Supernatural

  Miss Butterworth's dream and the mysterious knot of crape evoke superstitious interpretations, though she tries to rationalize them.

Characters to notice

• Amelia Butterworth

  Reflects on her morning encounter with Mr. Trohm and the puzzling knot of crape, while maintaining her composure and discretion.

• Mr. Trohm

  Rides up to greet Miss Butterworth, showing concern for her well-being and engaging in conversation about Mother Jane and the house.

• Mother Jane

  Observed by Miss Butterworth as she tends to her herbs; described as a harmless imbecile with an insatiable greed and a belief that her daughter Lizzie is still alive.

• William Knollys

  Mentioned as having left Miss Butterworth at the gate after she refused to drag her skirts through the briers.

Key passages

• ““Do you see Mother Jane over there?” I asked. “I had some talk with her yesterday. She seems like a harmless imbecile.” “Very harmless,” he acquiesced; “her only fault is greed; that is insatiable. Yet it is not strong enough to take her a quarter of a mile from this place. Nothing could do that, I think. She believes that her daughter Lizzie is still alive and will come back to the hut some day. It’s very sad when you think that the girl’s dead, and has been dead nearly forty years.””

  Miss Butterworth asks about Mother Jane, and Mr. Trohm confirms she is harmless but driven by an insatiable greed that nonetheless keeps her rooted near the hut, where she waits for her long-dead daughter Lizzie to return.

  Reveals Mother Jane's tragic backstory and her fixation on the past.

• “If this knot was a signal, for whom was this signal meant? If it was a mere acknowledgment of death, how reconcile the sentimentality which prompted such an acknowledgment with the monstrous and diseased passions lying at the base of the whole dreadful occurrence?”

  Miss Butterworth wonders whether the knot of crape is a signal or a sentimental token, and struggles to reconcile it with the dark events at the house.

  Highlights her internal investigation and the theme of secrecy.