Short Fiction · Chapter
To Him Who Waits explained
The Hermit of the Hudson, a man who has lived in a cave for ten years after being jilted by Edith Carr, receives a visit from Beatrix Trenholme, the youngest and fairest of the Trenholme sisters, who expresses admiration for his lifestyle.
What happens
The Hermit of the Hudson, a man who has lived in a cave for ten years after being jilted by Edith Carr, receives a visit from Beatrix Trenholme, the youngest and fairest of the Trenholme sisters, who expresses admiration for his lifestyle. Later, his former friend Binkley visits and reveals that he married Edith for her family's financial needs, and that Edith later divorced him. Edith herself then appears, seeking forgiveness and hinting at a desire to reunite, but the hermit rejects her, having been captivated by Beatrix. In the end, he descends to the Viewpoint Inn only to learn that Binkley is marrying Beatrix Trenholme that very evening.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Romance
The hermit's decade-long devotion to Edith Carr and his subsequent attraction to Beatrix Trenholme drive the romantic plot, culminating in a rejection and a wedding.
Social Class and Wealth
Binkley's wealth and Edith's marriage for money highlight the tension between love and financial security, while the hermit's poverty is contrasted with the inn's luxury.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
The hermit's outward appearance as a jilted lover hides his true feelings; Edith's return seems genuine but is tinged with past mercenary motives.
Characters to notice
- The Hermit
The protagonist, a scholarly hermit living in a cave for ten years after being jilted by Edith Carr; he rejects Edith's return and is drawn to Beatrix.
- Beelzebub Blythe
Referred to as Binkley, a wealthy former friend who married Edith Carr and later divorced her; he visits the hermit and mocks his lifestyle.
- Aileen
Edith Carr, the woman who jilted the hermit ten years ago; she visits him seeking forgiveness and hints at wanting to reunite.
- Unknown Narrator
The narrator describes the hermit's cave, his appearance, and the events of the chapter.
Key passages
“The Hermit of the Hudson was hustling about his cave with unusual animation.”
The hermit was moving around his cave with more energy than usual.
Sets the scene of the hermit preparing for a visitor.
“He had won a golden crown—if it pleased him to take it.”
He had achieved a great reward, but only if he chose to accept it.
Reflects the hermit's internal conflict when Edith returns.
“Up from the inn, fainter than the horns of elf-land, came now and then a strain of music.”
Music from the inn drifted faintly, like sounds from a magical realm.
Describes the hermit's growing temptation to rejoin society.