Short Fiction · Chapter
Louise explained
Jane Thropplestance, the most absentminded woman in Middlesex, returns from an afternoon of errands and social calls only to realize she has misplaced her niece, Louise.
What happens
Jane Thropplestance, the most absentminded woman in Middlesex, returns from an afternoon of errands and social calls only to realize she has misplaced her niece, Louise. Her sister, the Dowager Lady Beanford, presses her to remember where she left her. Jane recalls various stops—including the Carrywoods', Ada Spelvexit's, Mornay's—but cannot pinpoint Louise's location. After a humorous telephone call to Lord Carrywood, who mistakes Louise for the opera, and further speculation about Harrod's or Selfridge's, a footman reveals that Louise has been upstairs all afternoon reading to the kitchenmaid. The chapter satirizes Jane's absentmindedness and the trivial concerns of the upper class.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Facade
Jane's casual dismissal of losing her niece contrasts with the dowager's feigned concern, highlighting the superficiality of their social interactions.
The Absurdity of Social Rituals
The entire episode revolves around the triviality of afternoon calls, tea, and misplaced relatives, mocking the rituals of Edwardian high society.
Characters to notice
- Jane Martlet
The absentminded protagonist who misplaces her niece Louise while running errands and making social calls.
- Lady Drakmanton
Referred to as the Dowager Lady Beanford, Jane's sister who presses her to remember where she left Louise.
- Clovis Sangrail
Mentioned as having irreverently commented on Lady Beanford's imaginary ill-health.
- Louise
Jane's niece, who is inadvertently left behind but is later found to have been reading to the kitchenmaid upstairs.
Key passages
“If they had never existed, Granville Barker would have been certain to have invented something that looked exactly like them.”
The Salvation Army's modern appearance is so distinctive that playwright Granville Barker would have created a similar spectacle if they hadn't existed.
Jane's witty remark about the Salvation Army's transformation, reflecting her detached, ironic view of social institutions.
“She's leaving her present house and going to Lower Seymour Street. 'I dare say she will, if she stays there long enough,' I said.”
When told that a disliked acquaintance is moving to Lower Seymour Street, Jane quips that she will indeed leave if she remains there long enough, playing on the word 'leave.'
A pun on 'leaving' a house versus 'leaving' a location, showcasing Jane's absentminded humor.