Phineas Redux · Chapter
Madame Goesler Is Sent For explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Maule, having recovered from his son's proposal, visits Madame Goesler's home only to learn she has been summoned to Matching Priory due to the Duke of Omnium's declining health. The chapter explores Mr. Maule's calculated interest in Madame Goesler's wealth and the public's reaction to the Duke's impending death, including discussions at his club about the political and social implications.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Money
Mr. Maule's careful calculation of Madame Goesler's wealth and his strategic pursuit of her reflect the intersection of social ambition and financial necessity.
Political Ambition and Compromise
The club discussions about the difficulty of filling the Exchequer and the political implications of the Duke's death underscore the compromises and calculations of political life.
Scandal and Public Opinion
The rumors and speculation about Madame Goesler's relationship with the Duke, and the public's fascination with the mystery, highlight the role of scandal and gossip in society.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Maule
Visits Madame Goesler's house, learns she has gone to Matching; reflects on her wealth and his romantic prospects; discusses the Duke's illness at his club.
- Madame Max Goesler
Summoned by telegram to Matching Priory; travels there anxiously, concerned for the Duke of Omnium.
- Duchess of Omnium
Meets Madame Goesler at Matching; they kiss affectionately; she explains the Duke's condition.
- The Old Duke of Omnium
Reported to be dying; his health is the subject of bulletins and club gossip; his death is anticipated to cause political and social changes.
- Plantagenet Palliser
Mentioned as the nephew who will inherit the dukedom; discussed in terms of his political role as Chancellor of the Exchequer.
- Mr. Parkinson Seymour
Dines with Mr. Maule at the club; comments on the old Duke's style and the decline of aristocratic dignity.
- Sir Omicron Pie
Mentioned as the aged physician staying at Matching Priory attending the Duke.
Key passages
“Mr. Maule smiled as he declared to himself that those memoirs would certainly be in Madame Goesler’s hands before many days were over.”
Mr. Maule felt confident that Madame Goesler would soon obtain the memoirs he had mentioned.
Shows Mr. Maule's manipulative and strategic approach to cultivating intimacy.
“Poor dear old man, she said to herself; and yet the poor dear old man had simply been a trouble to her, adding a most disagreeable task to her life, and one which she was not called on to perform by any sense of duty.”
She felt pity for the Duke despite the burden his attention had placed on her.
Reveals Madame Goesler's conflicted feelings about her relationship with the Duke.
“There was not a club in London, and hardly a drawing-room in which something was not said that day in consequence of the two bulletins which had appeared as to the condition of the old Duke;—and in no club and in no drawing-room was a verdict given against the dying man.”
The Duke's illness was the talk of London, and everyone spoke well of him.
Illustrates the public's respect for the Duke despite his lack of productive achievements.