Man and Wife · Chapter
LIII: What Had Happened in the Hours of Darkness? explained
Anne awakens to a quiet morning at the cottage, but tensions simmer beneath the surface.
What happens
Anne awakens to a quiet morning at the cottage, but tensions simmer beneath the surface. Julius Delamayn informs her that Geoffrey still refuses a separation and that the landlady, Hester Dethridge, has given Geoffrey notice to quit. Meanwhile, Geoffrey secretly researches methods of murder, obsessed with eliminating Anne without detection. He grows suspicious of Hester's long absence and, later that night, watches her retrieve a hidden manuscript from the parlor. As she falls asleep, he steals the papers, which turn out to be a written confession.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Deception
Geoffrey secretly plots murder while feigning illness, and steals Hester's confession, betraying both Anne and his brother's trust.
Suffering and Resilience
Anne endures Geoffrey's refusal to separate and the oppressive atmosphere of the cottage, while Hester's silent labor and hidden confession hint at her own long suffering.
Hypocrisy of Society
Geoffrey's physical prowess and social standing mask his moral decay; society's emphasis on physical training leaves him 'defenseless' against temptation.
Characters to notice
- Anne Silvester
Wakes to sunlight, inquires about the night, speaks with Julius about Geoffrey's refusal to separate and the notice to quit.
- Julius Delamayn
Informs Anne of Geoffrey's continued refusal of a separation and of Hester Dethridge's notice to quit; suggests consulting Mr. Speedwell for medical advice.
- Geoffrey Delamayn
Obsessed with murdering Anne, reads about crimes, grows suspicious of Hester, and steals her hidden manuscript.
- Hester Dethridge
Appears dull and lifeless, gives Geoffrey notice to quit, goes out for the day, and later falls asleep in the parlor with a hidden confession.
Key passages
“What had happened in the hours of darkness? This was Anne’s first thought, when the sunlight poured in at her window, and woke her the next morning.”
Anne's first waking thought was to wonder what had occurred during the night.
Sets the chapter's tone of mystery and anxiety.
“The sense which feels remorse had not been put into him. What he is now is the legitimate consequence of what he was then.”
Geoffrey lacks the capacity for remorse; his current actions are a direct result of his past character.
Authorial commentary on Geoffrey's moral deficiency.
“He walked to and fro slowly, still pondering over the problem which had first found its way into his mind when he had stopped in the front garden and had looked up at Anne’s window in the dark. “How?” That had been the one question before him.”
Geoffrey paced, fixated on the single question of how to murder Anne without detection.
Reveals Geoffrey's obsessive plotting.