# XXXIX: Anne Wins a Victory explained — Man and Wife

> Chapter companion for Man and Wife by Wilkie Collins.

## What happens

Anne Silvester, having deduced that Bishopriggs is the one attempting to sell her lost letter to Mrs. Glenarm, travels to Perth and confronts him at the Harp of Scotland Inn. After a tense exchange, she forces him to return the letter by offering a five-pound note and threatening to expose him. Bishopriggs, realizing he is beaten, complies, and Anne retains the letter, though its future influence on her life is foreshadowed.

## Themes in this chapter

### Betrayal and Deception

Bishopriggs's attempt to sell Anne's private letter to Mrs. Glenarm exemplifies betrayal of trust and deceptive schemes.

### Suffering and Resilience

Anne's determination to reclaim her letter despite her poverty and emotional turmoil highlights her resilience in the face of past suffering.

### Gender and Power

Anne's confrontation with Bishopriggs shows her asserting power in a male-dominated society, using both threat and money to achieve her goal.

## Character check-ins

### Anne Silvester

Confronts Bishopriggs and successfully retrieves her lost letter, demonstrating her resolve and resourcefulness.

### Mr. Bishopriggs

The former headwaiter at Craig Fernie, now posing as a friend at the Harp of Scotland Inn; he is forced to return Anne's letter after being outmaneuvered.

### Thomas Pennyquick

The ailing headwaiter at the Harp of Scotland whose position Bishopriggs temporarily fills.

### Mrs. Glenarm

The wealthy woman to whom Bishopriggs attempted to sell Anne's letter; mentioned as the target of the extortion scheme.

### Geoffrey Delamayn

Referred to as Jaffray Delamayn in the letter; his past relationship with Anne is central to the conflict.

## Key lines

> If Bishopriggs had a merit, it was a rare merit, as men go, of knowing when he was beaten. If he had an accomplishment, it was the accomplishment of retiring defeated, with all the honors of war.

Bishopriggs's one good quality was that he could recognize when he had lost and gracefully concede.

_Describes Bishopriggs's pragmatic surrender after Anne outmaneuvers him._

> The color rose on her pale face. Her eyes, dim and weary when she entered the room, looked him brightly through and through in immeasurable contempt.

Anne's face flushed and her tired eyes sharpened with disdain as she confronted Bishopriggs.

_Highlights Anne's resurgence of strength and contempt during the confrontation._

> I can, and will, make that sheet of notepaper you have stolen from me nothing but waste paper in your hands.

Anne threatens to render the stolen letter worthless by exposing its contents herself.

_Shows Anne's strategic threat to undermine Bishopriggs's scheme._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se/chapters/xxxix-anne-wins-a-victory
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/man_and_wife_se/chapters