# Letter II explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by M. R. James.

## What happens

The narrator writes to Robert from the King's Head, reporting no news of Uncle H. He recounts the events of December 19th: Uncle H. read evening prayers, visited a sick parishioner, and disappeared on his return. Searches have found nothing. The narrator interviews Mrs. Hunt, the parish clerk, and the sick man's family, finding no suspicion of foul play. He describes the misty, eerie landscape and his own unease. Later, Mr. Lucas the curate offers little new, and the innkeeper Mr. Bowman reveals a past quarrel with Uncle H. but is quickly embarrassed. The narrator resolves to search the fields tomorrow.

## Themes in this chapter

### Isolation and Psychological Fear

The narrator describes a thick mist on his return, where 'bushes looked like men, and a cow lowing in the distance might have been the last trump,' and admits he half-expected Uncle H. to appear carrying his head under his arm.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Lucas

The curate visits the narrator; he has given up hope that the Rector is alive and shows limited emotional attachment.

### Mr. Bowman

The innkeeper of the King's Head; he initially offers solemn sympathy but then passionately recounts a quarrel with Uncle H. over a cask of beer.

## Key lines

> I was on the qui vive for any indication today both going and returning; but there was a thick mist on the way back, and I was not in trim for wandering about unknown pastures, especially on an evening when bushes looked like men, and a cow lowing in the distance might have been the last trump.

I was alert for any sign on my way there and back, but the thick mist on the return made me uneasy; bushes seemed like men, and a cow's lowing sounded like the apocalypse.

_The narrator conveys his heightened anxiety and the eerie atmosphere that made him imagine supernatural occurrences._

> I assure you, if Uncle Henry had stepped out from among the trees in a little copse which borders the path at one place, carrying his head under his arm, I should have been very little more uncomfortable than I was.

I honestly think that if Uncle Henry had appeared from the woods carrying his own severed head, I would hardly have been more disturbed than I already was.

_The narrator expresses the extreme psychological tension and fear he felt during his walk._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters/letter-ii
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_35_se/chapters