Short Fiction · Chapter
The Hedgehog explained
At a Rectory garden party, a group of young people play tennis under the critical gaze of four ladies, including the quarrelsome Mrs.
What happens
At a Rectory garden party, a group of young people play tennis under the critical gaze of four ladies, including the quarrelsome Mrs. Dole and Mrs. Hatch-Mallard. The conversation turns to ghosts at Exwood, the house Mrs. Norbury rents from Mrs. Hatch-Mallard. Mrs. Norbury's guest, Ada Bleek, a clairvoyant, hopes to see a ghost. Despite the Norburys' efforts to steer her toward the ghost of Mrs. Hatch-Mallard's uncle, Ada instead sees a monstrous white hedgehog, which she believes is the ghost of Nicholas Herison. To prevent her from reporting it, Hugo Norbury claims it is a stuffed albino hedgehog used as a prank, thus preserving the lease and ending Ada's friendship.
Themes in this chapter
Hypocrisy and Moral Facade
The Norburys pretend to accommodate their guest's interests while secretly manipulating her to avoid offending their landlord.
The Absurdity of Social Rituals
The garden party's rigid traditions, including the seating of critical ladies and the obsession with social standing, highlight the absurdity of such rituals.
Characters to notice
- Nicholas Herison
Mentioned as the ghost of an old miser hung in 1763, appearing as a white hedgehog.
- Hugo Norbury
Devises the lie about the stuffed albino hedgehog to prevent Ada Bleek from reporting her ghost sighting.
Key passages
“What a singularly unbecoming way Eva Jonelet has taken to doing her hair in”
Eva Jonelet's hairstyle is very unflattering.
Mrs. Hatch-Mallard criticizes Eva's appearance, reflecting the social scrutiny at the party.
“I expect she'll see the unhappy Lady Cullumpton, the most famous of all the Exwood ghosts”
I anticipate she will encounter the well-known ghost of Lady Cullumpton at Exwood.
Mrs. Dole asserts the primacy of the Cullumpton ghost, leading to a dispute with Mrs. Hatch-Mallard.
“It was very wicked of us, Miss Bleek, but it would be a shame to let it go further. That white hedgehog is an old joke of ours; stuffed albino hedgehog, you know”
We played a trick on you; that white hedgehog is a stuffed albino hedgehog we use as a prank.
Hugo Norbury fabricates a story to prevent Ada from reporting her ghost sighting and jeopardizing their lease.