Salem Chapel · Chapter
XX explained
Vincent, in a state of frantic despair, pursues Susan after learning from Mary that she has been deceived and is about to be taken abroad.
What happens
Vincent, in a state of frantic despair, pursues Susan after learning from Mary that she has been deceived and is about to be taken abroad. He encounters Mrs. Hilyard, who is also pursuing Colonel Mildmay with deadly intent. Vincent and Fordham travel to a remote house in Northumberland, only to find Susan is not there. The chapter ends with Vincent's growing disillusionment and the sound of church bells on Sunday morning, highlighting his shattered sense of duty and identity.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Scandal
The chapter revolves around the hidden whereabouts of Susan, deceptive letters, and the pursuit of truth amid scandal.
Ambition vs. Duty
Vincent's neglect of his ministerial duties on Sunday highlights the conflict between his personal crisis and his professional obligations.
Family and Filial Duty
Vincent's desperate search for Susan and his concern for his mother's grief underscore the theme of family loyalty.
Characters to notice
- Arthur Vincent
Overwhelmed by rage and despair, he pursues Susan after learning of her deception, confronts Fordham, and searches a remote house in vain.
- Susan Vincent
Mentioned as the missing sister, deceived by Fordham, believed to be taken abroad; her fate remains unknown.
- Mrs. Hilyard
Appears as a 'dreadful relentless' figure dogging Colonel Mildmay's steps, described as a 'conscious Death' tracking him.
- Mr. Fordham
Accompanies Vincent on the journey, shows some sympathy, but is ultimately revealed to have been deceived as well.
- Mary
Mrs. Vincent's maid, who informs Vincent of Susan's plight and gives him the address of the hotel.
- Colonel Mildmay
Mentioned as the target of Mrs. Hilyard's pursuit and as the recipient of deceptive letters.
Key passages
“He could have dashed him under those wheels, plunged him into any mad destruction, in the first passionate whirl of his thoughts on seeing him again; but to see Her behind following after—pale with her horrible composure, a conscious Death tracking his very steps—drove Vincent back with a sudden paralysing touch.”
Vincent initially feels a violent urge to destroy Colonel Mildmay, but the sight of Mrs. Hilyard following him with deadly intent shocks him into paralysis.
Highlights Vincent's internal conflict and the ominous presence of Mrs. Hilyard.
“It’s all been deceitfulness and lyin’ and falsehood, and it ain’t none o’ her doing—oh no, no, Mr. Arthur, no!—but now she’s got nobody to stand by her, for he took and brought me up this very day; oh, don’t lose no time!—he took and brought me up, pretending it was to show me the way, and he sent me right off, Mr. Arthur, and she don’t know no more nor a baby, and he’ll take her off over the seas this very night—he will; for I had it of his own man.”
Mary reveals that Susan has been deceived by Fordham, who plans to take her to France that night, and urges Vincent to act immediately.
Key exposition revealing the plot against Susan.
“Sunday morning! Life all disordered, incoherent, desperate—all its usages set at nought and duties left behind. Nothing could have added the final touch of conscious derangement and desperation like the sound of that bell; all his existence and its surroundings floated about him in feverish clouds, as it came to his mind that this wild morning, hysterical with fatigue and excitement, was the Sunday—the day of his special labours—the central point of all his former life.”
The sound of the Sunday church bell reminds Vincent of his abandoned duties as a minister, deepening his sense of chaos and despair.
Illustrates the theme of ambition vs. duty and Vincent's psychological turmoil.
