# III: Enter Judge Pursuivant explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Manly Wade Wellman.

## What happens

Judge Keith Hilary Pursuivant, an occultist and antiquary, arrives and authenticates a manuscript of the play 'Ruthven' as being in Lord Byron's handwriting. Varduk reveals that he is Byron's great-grandson and that the play was bequeathed to him through Claire Clairmont. The group agrees to stage the play that summer. After the meeting, Pursuivant warns Gilbert Connatt about the play, noting that while the handwriting is Byron's, the paper is watermarked less than ten years old.

## Themes in this chapter

### The Power of Belief and Ritual

The authentication of the Byron manuscript and the planned staging of 'Ruthven' highlight how belief in the supernatural and ritualistic elements of the play drive the narrative.

### Supernatural Evil and Occultism

Pursuivant's expertise in demonology and the creepy, occult content of 'Ruthven' underscore the theme of supernatural evil.

## Character check-ins

### Keith Pursuivant

Enters the chapter as a large, tweed-clad occultist and antiquary who authenticates the Byron manuscript and later warns Connatt about the play's paradoxical paper watermark.

### Varduk

Hosts the gathering, reveals his descent from Lord Byron, and explains the play's provenance through Claire Clairmont.

### Gib

Narrator and observer; watches Sigrid leave with ruefulness and later receives a warning from Pursuivant.

### Martha Vining

Present at the meeting; asks Varduk if Byron wrote the play in one sitting.

### Jake Switz

First to leave the meeting, hurrying to telephone announcements to newspapers.

### Sigrid

Bows to Varduk, smiles at Gib, and leaves quickly, staying in the same hotel.

## Key lines

> I’ll stake my legal and scholastic reputation that Byron himself wrote these pages.

Pursuivant confidently declares the manuscript is genuinely by Byron.

_This moment establishes Pursuivant's authority and sets up the later paradox about the paper._

> I am descended from that son, ladies and gentlemen. I am the great-grandson of Lord Byron.

Varduk reveals his lineage as Byron's descendant.

_This revelation adds a personal and mysterious layer to Varduk's character and the play's provenance._

> It’s a paradox, Mr. Connatt, and I am by no means so fond of paradoxes as was my friend, the late Gilbert Chesterton; but, while Byron most certainly wrote Ruthven, he wrote it on paper that was watermarked less than ten years ago.

Pursuivant warns Connatt that the manuscript is anachronistic.

_This paradox introduces a central mystery and foreshadows supernatural or deceptive elements._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_37_se/chapters/iii-enter-judge-pursuivant
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_37_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_37_se/chapters