Short Fiction · Chapter
Squire Petrick explained
Timothy Petrick, an old man who acquired vast estates through shrewd mortgage dealings, is on his deathbed.
What happens
Timothy Petrick, an old man who acquired vast estates through shrewd mortgage dealings, is on his deathbed. His grandson, also named Timothy, is married to Annetta, who gives birth to a son but dies soon after. On her deathbed, Annetta confesses that the child's father is not Timothy but the young Marquis of Christminster. Timothy, horrified, persuades his grandfather to alter the will to disinherit the child. However, as the boy Rupert grows, Timothy becomes deeply attached to him, and upon learning of the child's noble lineage, he comes to view Annetta's actions as improving the family bloodline, ultimately embracing the boy with pride.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Secrecy
Annetta's deathbed confession reveals the secret of Rupert's true parentage, which drives the plot.
Social Class and Mobility
Timothy's eventual pride in Rupert's noble lineage highlights the obsession with social status and bloodlines.
Sacrifice and Duty
Timothy's initial vow to care for the child, despite the revelation, reflects a sense of duty, though later overshadowed by ambition.
Characters to notice
- Timothy Petrick
The elder Timothy Petrick, a wealthy mortgagee and lawyer, who alters his will to disinherit his great-grandson after learning of the child's illegitimate birth.
- Timothy Petrick
The younger Timothy Petrick, grandson of old Timothy, who initially rejects his wife's child but later grows to love him.
- Rupert
The infant son of Annetta, initially disinherited but later cherished by his legal father Timothy.
Key passages
“Timothy was a lawyer by profession, and agent to several noblemen, by which means his special line of business became opened to him by a sort of revelation.”
Timothy worked as a lawyer and agent for nobles, which led him to discover his profitable niche in mortgage dealings.
Describes how Timothy Petrick's career path unfolded.
“She thereupon related an incident concerning the baby’s parentage, which was not as he supposed.”
Annetta confessed that the baby's father was not Timothy, but another man.
Key plot revelation of the child's true lineage.
“The human necessity to love something or other got the better of what he had called his wisdom, and shaped itself in a tender anxiety for the youngster Rupert.”
Timothy's natural need to love overcame his earlier resolve, leading him to care deeply for Rupert.
Shows Timothy's emotional transformation toward the child.