# The Hen explained — Short Fiction

> Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Saki.

## What happens

Clovis Sangrail devises a scheme to force Jane Martlet to leave his mother's house before the arrival of Dora Bittholz, with whom Jane has a bitter quarrel over a hen. He convinces Jane that the butler Sturridge has a dangerous delusion that she is Queen Anne and intends to kill her, ultimately using a sword to frighten her into fleeing.

## Themes in this chapter

### Hypocrisy and Moral Facade

Clovis manipulates Jane's fears with a fabricated story about the butler, exposing the deceptive games played to maintain social harmony.

### The Absurdity of Social Rituals

The elaborate ruse about the butler's delusion and Jane's overreaction highlight the ridiculous lengths people go to in managing social obligations.

## Character check-ins

### Clovis Sangrail

Protagonist who orchestrates a scheme to make Jane Martlet leave by exploiting her fear of a supposedly delusional butler.

### Jane Martlet

Guest who is tricked into believing the butler thinks she is Queen Anne and intends to murder her, causing her to flee.

### Mrs. Sangrail

Clovis's mother, who is concerned about the impending visit of Dora Bittholz while Jane is still staying.

## Key lines

> Nothing fans the flame of human resentment so much as the discovery that one's bosom has been utilised as a snake sanatorium.

Finding out that a trusted friend has betrayed you intensifies anger more than anything else.

_Clovis explains why Jane and Dora's friendship turned bitter after the hen dispute._

> It's when servants have been with you for years that they become a really serious nuisance. The 'here today and gone tomorrow' sort don't matter—you've simply got to replace them; it's the stayers and the paragons that are the real worry.

Long-serving, perfect servants are more troublesome than temporary ones because their reliability makes them indispensable and harder to manage.

_Clovis complains to Jane about the butler Sturridge, setting up his scheme._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters/the-hen
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_49_se/chapters