XV: The Secretary's Affairs explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Deception and Appearance

  Stenness's forgery and his outward appearance as a trustworthy secretary contrast with his secret actions, highlighting the theme of deception.

• Justice and Morality

  Stenness's justification for forgery as a form of self-help justice raises questions about moral versus legal rightness.

• Class and Wealth

  Stenness's loss of capital and his reluctance to live on his wife's money underscore class and economic anxieties.

Characters to notice

• Mr. Stenness

  Confesses to forgery and explains his motive: recovering money swindled from him by Roger Shandon. Reveals his love for Sylvia Hawkhurst and his moral justification for the crime.

• Sir Clinton Driffield

  Listens to Stenness's confession, questions his moral reasoning, and ultimately decides to give him a chance by having him secure the money.

• Sylvia Hawkhurst

  Mentioned as the object of Stenness's love; her death is the catalyst for his confession.

• Roger Shandon

  Revealed as the man who swindled Stenness out of his capital and as the victim of Stenness's forgery.

• Dr. Ardsley

  Brings news of Sylvia's death to Sir Clinton at the start of the chapter.

Key passages

• “I suppose my training under Roger Shandon had taken the refined edge off any honesty I had. Or else it had left the honesty but blunted my respect for the conventions, if you like it better that way.”

  Stenness suggests that working for Roger Shandon either eroded his honesty or made him less concerned with social norms.

  Stenness explains his moral flexibility as a result of his association with Roger Shandon.

• “I decided to pay him back in his own coin. I might have milked him of a fair extra sum as a fine; but that didn't suit my book. I've got a peculiar brand of conscience; and I made up my mind that I'd take precisely the cash that he cheated me out of.”

  Stenness resolved to recover exactly the amount he was swindled, not a penny more, due to his unusual sense of morality.

  Stenness articulates his personal code of justice, which he sees as distinct from legal standards.

• “I meant to recover my money, clear out, work hard and make enough for my purposes. I reckoned that a couple of years would do it, if I took risks. And before I went, I was going to take the biggest risk of all. I was going to tell Sylvia the whole story and see what she had to say.”

  Stenness planned to regain his money, leave, earn a living, and then confess everything to Sylvia before proposing.

  Stenness reveals his romantic intentions and his plan to be honest with Sylvia after securing his financial independence.