XXVII explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Class and Social Mobility

  Hannah's status as a 'lady of property' shifts Robert Corder's behavior, yet she conceals the smallness of her property. The tension over her appearance at the party highlights class distinctions.

• Appearance vs. Reality

  Hannah's moire silk dress and family heirlooms create an impression of gentility, while Robert Corder's concern about her being 'too clever' reveals his underlying distrust.

• Family Dynamics and Paternal Authority

  Robert Corder's frustration with Howard's lateness and his need to control the family's public image underscore his paternal authority and the tensions within the household.

Characters to notice

• Miss Hannah Mole

  Left alone on Boxing Day, she reads a book from Mr. Blenkinsop and plans a new strategy with Robert Corder. She dresses in a moire silk dress with Wilfrid's brooch and Mr. Samson's lace, surprising the household.

• Robert Corder

  He has been affable since learning Hannah is a lady of property, but worries she might be too clever at Mrs. Spenser-Smith's party. He is vexed by Howard's lateness and leaves the room when Hannah displays her lace and brooch.

• Ruth

  She feels relief that Miss Mole knows everything and recalls the dark years before her arrival. She worries Howard might reveal he is not going to be a minister at the party.

• Ethel Corder

  She fidgets and worries about Howard's lateness, and comments on Hannah's 'quaint old brooch' with a doubtful glance at her own beads.

• Uncle Jim

  He has been for a walk with Howard, reads the evening paper calmly, and offers to stay home to look after the house. He admires Hannah's lace.

• Howard Corder

  He returns home late, rushing past his father without apology, and cheerfully assures he will not keep them waiting long.

Key passages

• “Later, she was to look back at that solitary evening as at an oasis where she had rested between two stages of a journey and, as though she knew the one in front of her was the harder, she made the most of the interlude, sitting by the fire and reading one of the books which Mr. Blenkinsop had, most unexpectedly, sent her.”

  Hannah later remembered that quiet evening as a peaceful break before a more difficult period, and she savored it by reading a book Mr. Blenkinsop had surprisingly given her.

  Reflects Hannah's foresight and her appreciation of rare moments of calm.

• “He had been very affable since he learnt she was a lady of property and she had not thought it necessary to tell him how small and poor that property was, and perhaps he shared her own desire to be kind and was frustrated by the same cause, the insistent craving to be impressive, and as there was not room for two such people in the same house and one must make way for the other, it was Hannah, who flattered herself on her superior sight, who must stand aside while he went blindly on.”

  Robert Corder had been friendlier since discovering Hannah owned property, though she didn't reveal its modest size. Both wanted to be kind but also to impress, and Hannah felt she had to yield to his blindness.

  Highlights the power struggle and mutual vanity between Hannah and Robert Corder.

• “It was mean, it was despicable, to mind about the black silk and jet trimmings when they were worn by Miss Mole who had thought about the night-lights, who had chased away fears, without mentioning them by name, and been wonderfully kind without encroaching on the rights of the mother for whom Ruth still kept her caresses and the spoken expression of thoughts which Miss Mole was content to divine.”

  Ruth felt guilty for caring about Hannah's dress when Hannah had been so kind and understanding, respecting Ruth's loyalty to her late mother.

  Shows Ruth's internal conflict and her deep appreciation for Hannah's subtle support.