# Conclusion explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

## What happens

The narrator concludes the tale of Captain Walshawe by revealing two curious circumstances: the wax candle used by his uncle was the same holy candle from the corpse, and a secret drawer containing the missing papers was discovered behind the mirror drawer. The phantom bore an unmistakable resemblance to the deceased Captain. Wauling was sold and demolished in 1837, and the narrator wonders if it was rumored to be haunted.

## Themes in this chapter

### Supernatural and the Uncanny

The phantom's resemblance to Captain Walshawe and the cursed holy candle highlight the supernatural elements.

### Guilt and Retribution

The discovery of the hidden papers and the haunting suggest retribution for the Captain's past misdeeds.

## Character check-ins

### Wicked Captain Walshawe

The phantom exhibited a grotesque but unmistakable resemblance to him in various stages of his life.

### Mr. Watson

The narrator's uncle, who experienced the haunting and discovered the secret drawer.

## Key lines

> First⁠—The wax candle which he took from the press in the parlour and burnt at his bedside on that horrible night was unquestionably, according to the testimony of the old deaf servant, who had been fifty years at Wauling, that identical piece of 'holy candle' which had stood in the fingers of the poor lady's corpse

The candle his uncle used that night was confirmed by a long-serving servant to be the same holy candle from the dead woman's hand.

_Reveals the cursed object's provenance._

> Secondly⁠—Behind the drawer under the looking-glass, he did actually discover a second but secret drawer, in which were concealed the identical papers which he had suspected the attorney of having made away with.

He found a hidden drawer behind the mirror containing the very papers he believed the lawyer had stolen.

_Confirms the uncle's suspicion about the missing documents._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters/conclusion
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_31_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_31_se/chapters