Man and Wife · Chapter
XXI: Done! explained
Blanche waits in the library for Anne, who finally arrives looking haggard and broken.
What happens
Blanche waits in the library for Anne, who finally arrives looking haggard and broken. Anne reveals she has left Craig Fernie after a quarrel involving Bishopriggs and the landlady, and that she missed a letter. She asks Blanche to name the gentlemen staying in the house, and learns that Geoffrey Delamayn has just returned. Left alone, Geoffrey enters and confronts Anne coldly, denying his promise to marry her and accusing her of misconduct at the inn. Anne, overwhelmed, struggles to comprehend his betrayal.
Themes in this chapter
Betrayal and Deception
Geoffrey coldly denies his promise to marry Anne, having secretly resolved to abandon her, while Anne remains unaware of his true intentions.
Friendship and Loyalty
Blanche's unwavering devotion to Anne is highlighted as she waits for her, comforts her, and tries to protect her from further harm.
Suffering and Resilience
Anne's physical and emotional collapse after days of solitude and suspense illustrates her profound suffering, yet she still musters the strength to seek out Geoffrey.
Characters to notice
- Blanche Lundie
Faithfully waits for Anne in the library; is horrified by Anne's appearance and tries to comfort her.
- Anne Silvester
Arrives at Windygates looking years older, crushed by solitude and suspense; reveals she left Craig Fernie after a quarrel and a missing letter; seeks to confirm Geoffrey's presence.
- Sir Patrick Lundie
Agrees to drive toward Craig Fernie to help Blanche; reflects on Anne's noble qualities after hearing Blanche's message.
- Lady Lundie
Dismisses Hester Dethridge's complaints as insolence; insists she must work or leave service.
- Geoffrey Delamayn
Enters the library and confronts Anne; coldly denies his promise to marry her, having made up his mind to abandon her.
- Hester Dethridge
Reported by the butler as having 'broken out again,' looking troubled and worn; Lady Lundie threatens to dismiss her.
Key passages
“The change in the whole woman was nothing less than dreadful to the loving eyes that rested on her. She looked years older than her real age. There was a dull calm in her face, a stagnant, stupefied submission to anything, pitiable to see.”
Anne appeared so altered that Blanche was shocked: she seemed aged, with a vacant, resigned expression that was heartbreaking to witness.
Describes Anne's deteriorated state after three days of isolation and anxiety.
“He looked at her without answering—without advancing a step, on his side. There was an evil light in his eyes; his silence was the brute silence that threatens dumbly.”
Geoffrey stared at Anne without moving or speaking, his eyes gleaming with malice, his silence menacing.
Captures Geoffrey's hostile and threatening demeanor upon seeing Anne.
“I am broken by what I have gone through,” she said. “Don’t insult me by making me remind you of your promise.””
Anne pleaded with Geoffrey not to force her to recall his vow, as she was already shattered by her ordeal.
Anne's desperate appeal to Geoffrey's sense of honor.