Mr. Incoul’s Misadventure · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Mr. Incoul’s Misadventure by Edgar Saltus.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The chapter presents a single epigraph from Deuteronomy 19:21, invoking a biblical call for strict justice without mercy.
Chapter 2
Dedication
The chapter is a brief dedication to E. A. S.
Chapter 3
Mr. Incoul’s Misadventure
Mr. Incoul, having discovered Lenox Leigh's presence at the villa, orders an immediate move to Paris. He rents a house in the Parc Monceau and begins to plot his revenge. He sees Lenox with the dancer Mirette and transforms his courier Karl into a gentleman to execute his scheme. Meanwhile, Lenox is accused of cheating at baccarat and contemplates suicide.
Chapter 4
Mr. Incoul
The chapter introduces Harmon Incoul, a wealthy widower whose wife died of pneumonia after fifteen years of marriage. Initially expected never to remarry, he spends two years in solitude before gradually re-entering society. At a reception, he meets the young Maida Barhyte and, after a brief conversation, asks her a startling question, indicating his intention to call on her.
Chapter 5
Miss Barhyte Agrees to Change Her Name
Mr. Incoul visits Miss Barhyte at her boardinghouse to receive her answer to his marriage proposal. She reveals her family's financial distress and her plan to work as a governess in San Francisco, but after a tense negotiation, she agrees to marry him on the condition that the marriage will be in name only until she chooses to give him her heart. After he leaves, she sends a note to Lenox Leigh, arranging a meeting that evening.
Chapter 6
After Darkness
This chapter recounts the backstory of Maida Barhyte's past romance with Lenox Leigh at Mt. Desert, their deepening intimacy, and the eventual cooling of their relationship due to financial constraints and societal pressures. It also details Mrs. Barhyte's tragic history and her decision to push Maida toward a position that will secure their future.
Chapter 7
An Evening Call
Lenox Leigh visits Maida Barhyte, who reveals she has accepted Mr. Incoul's marriage proposal. The two lovers confront their impending separation, expressing deep regret and sorrow. Maida insists they must part forever, and after a final embrace, she sends him away.
Chapter 8
V: A Yellow Envelope
Mr. and Mrs. Incoul, after a simple wedding, travel to Baden-Baden. Maida finds a yellow envelope in their villa addressed to the Gräfin von Adelsburg, which sparks her first real awareness of her husband's wealth. At the Kursaal, she overhears that Lenox Leigh may be in Baden, causing her dread and longing. She turns to her husband for protection, while Mr. Incoul, bored by Blydenburg, notices her movement.
Chapter 9
VI: Biarritz
Mr. Incoul decides to move his party from Baden to Biarritz after consulting with Karl and persuading Mr. Blydenburg. In Biarritz, he rents the Villa Zunzarraga from the Marquis of Zunzarraga. The chapter describes the villa's luxurious appointments, including a library filled with esoteric and decadent literature. The party settles into a routine of bathing, drives, and excursions, with Maida's beauty attracting attention. They attend a Course Landaise (a bloodless bullfight) and plan a dinner at Saint-Jean-de-Luz.
Chapter 10
What May Be Seen from a Palco
The Incouls settle into their luxurious villa in Biarritz, where Maida enjoys the sensory pleasures of her new rooms. The chapter follows the party's excursion to a bullfight in San Sebastián, where the spectacle of the corrida unfolds. During the event, Maida spots Lenox Leigh in the crowd, causing a profound emotional reaction.
Chapter 11
An Unexpected Guest
At a bullfight in San Sebastián, Lenox Leigh unexpectedly appears and joins Mr. Incoul's party, including Maida and the Blydenburgs. They dine together at the Inglaterra, where Lenox charms the group with his knowledge of Spain and recites poetry. After dinner, Maida and Lenox briefly speak alone, revealing that Lenox followed her from Paris. Mr. Incoul interrupts and the party departs, with Lenox left standing in the moonlight.
Chapter 12
Mr. Incoul Dines in Spain
Mr. Blydenburg and Mr. Incoul travel to Fuenterrabia, Spain for an evening, exploring the town, dining at a casino, and gambling. Meanwhile, Maida and Lenox Leigh take a solitary stroll on the Côte des Basques beach. Upon returning late at night, Mr. Incoul discovers Lenox Leigh leaving his villa, confirming his suspicions.
Chapter 13
X: The Point of View
Lenox Leigh spends a day in anxious solitude, waiting for word from Maida after his midnight encounter with Mr. Incoul. He oscillates between fear and philosophical resignation, eventually deciding to go out. He dines with Clarence May, who introduces him to the dancer Mirette. Later, Blydenburg informs him that the Incouls have abruptly left for Paris, deepening Lenox's uncertainty.
Chapter 14
XI: The House in the Parc Monceau
After a Wall Street crash, Mr. Incoul rents a furnished house in the Parc Monceau in Paris. He abruptly orders his wife Maida to leave Biarritz, citing a cholera outbreak in Madrid. In Paris, he inspects several apartments before settling on the house, which he furnishes with carriages and horses. The chapter highlights the ease of Parisian housekeeping for those with wealth.
Chapter 15
Mr. Incoul Is Preoccupied
Mr. Incoul maintains an outwardly devoted and indulgent demeanor toward his wife Maida, taking her to theaters and social events, while inwardly becoming increasingly silent and abstracted. Maida, having written a decisive note to Lenox Leigh to end their connection, tries to rationalize her husband's preoccupation, ultimately concluding it is not related to her past with Lenox. She attempts to draw him out by addressing him by his first name, but his distant gaze suggests his thoughts are elsewhere.
Chapter 16
XIII: What May Be Heard in a Greenroom
Mr. Incoul attends a new ballet at the Opéra with his wife Maida and guests. During the entr'acte, he visits the foyer de la danse and overhears a conversation linking the dancer Mirette to Lenox Leigh, whom she accompanied from Biarritz. He observes Mirette's entrance and her intimate exchange with Lenox, then steps outside to walk alone for half an hour, returning with a flushed face and a faint smile.
Chapter 17
XIV: Karl Grows a Moustache
Mr. Incoul begins a secret transformation of his courier Karl, ordering him to shave his whiskers and take a room at the Meurice. Meanwhile, Lenox Leigh, having returned to Paris with the dancer Mirette, receives a final, irrevocable note from Maida ending their relationship. His funds depleted, he clings to Mirette for consolation, but is publicly snubbed by her when she arrives at a restaurant with another man, leaving him humiliated and adrift.
Chapter 18
XV: May Expostulates
Mr. Incoul, having orchestrated a public accusation, exposes Lenox Leigh as a cheater at baccarat in the Capucines club. Lenox is shunned by all, including May, and is escorted out by De la Dèche. Earlier, Maida makes a tentative romantic overture to Mr. Incoul, but he responds with cold triumph, leaving her uncertain.
Chapter 19
XVI: The Bare Bodkin
Lenox Leigh, reeling from the accusation of cheating at baccarat, wanders the Paris streets in despair. He purchases a lethal dose of poison from a chemist and returns to his hotel room, where he engages in a lengthy philosophical soliloquy on life, death, and the futility of existence. After a moment of hesitation, he injects himself with the poison and experiences a series of vivid sensory hallucinations before slipping into unconsciousness.
Chapter 20
Maida's Nuptials
After the baccarat scandal, Mr. Incoul confronts Maida in her room, revealing his knowledge of her past with Lenox Leigh and accusing him of cheating. He forces her to drink a sedative and locks her in, asserting his control.
Chapter 21
Mr. Incoul Goes Over the Accounts
Mr. Blydenburg, troubled by his recent confrontation with Mr. Incoul over Lenox Leigh, encounters Mr. Wainwaring outside the Grand Hôtel. Wainwaring delivers the shocking news that Mrs. Incoul has died from gas asphyxiation, and that Lenox Leigh has committed suicide after being accused of cheating at baccarat. Blydenburg, stunned and grieving, attempts to visit Incoul but is turned away. The chapter ends with Incoul calmly asking Karl to go over his accounts.
