# Dame the Tenth: The Honourable Laura explained — Short Fiction > Chapter companion for Short Fiction by Thomas Hardy. ## What happens On a cold and gloomy Christmas Eve, a man and a young woman arrive at a remote hotel in Lower Wessex. The man, a foreign-looking individual, and the woman, who seems timid and young, are benighted and seek shelter. The story then shifts to Laura Northbrook, a woman who has been abandoned by her husband for eleven years after a quarrel. She lives in lonely repentance, hoping for his return. One day, a stranger arrives at her home, dries himself by the kitchen fire, and learns of her devotion. He then presents himself at the front door as the man she once nursed after an accident. He is revealed to be her husband, and they are reunited. The chapter ends with the Field-Club members dispersing after the tale. ## Themes in this chapter ### Isolation and Longing Laura Northbrook's eleven-year solitude and her unflagging devotion to her absent husband highlight the theme of isolation and longing. Her life is described as a 'mechanical routine' that dulls her grief but leaves her lonely and depressed. ### Sacrifice and Duty Laura's refusal to remarry despite offers and her continued hope for her husband's return underscore her sense of duty and sacrifice. She remains faithful to her marriage vows even in the face of abandonment. ### Deception and Secrecy The husband's initial approach to the kitchen staff under the guise of a wet traveler, and his subsequent revelation as the long-lost husband, involves elements of deception and secrecy. The servants unknowingly reveal Laura's history to him. ## Character check-ins ### Laura Northbrook The Honourable Mrs. Northbrook, a lonely and repentant woman who has been abandoned by her husband for eleven years. She remains devoted to his memory and lives a solitary life until his unexpected return. ### Stephen Reynard The foreign-looking gentleman who arrives at the hotel with a young woman. He is later revealed to be the husband of Laura Northbrook, returning after a long absence. ### Caroline The young woman who accompanies Stephen Reynard to the hotel. She is timid and appears to be much younger than him. ## Key lines > It was a cold and gloomy Christmas Eve. The mass of cloud overhead was almost impervious to such daylight as still lingered on; the snow lay several inches deep upon the ground, and the slanting downfall which still went on threatened to considerably increase its thickness before the morning. The chapter opens on a dark, snowy Christmas Eve, with thick clouds blocking the remaining daylight and snow already deep on the ground, promising more accumulation overnight. _Sets the bleak, wintry atmosphere of the chapter._ > She nevertheless remained a lonely, repentant, depressed being, who would have given the greater part of everything she possessed to ensure the presence and affection of that husband whose very austerity and phlegm—qualities that had formerly led to the alienation between them—seemed now to be adorable features in his character. Laura is described as a lonely and repentant woman who would sacrifice almost everything to have her husband back, now valuing the very traits that once drove them apart. _Highlights Laura's deep regret and longing for her husband._ > The wayfarer, who had at first been so coldly received, contrived by his frank and engaging manner to draw the ladies of the kitchen into a most confidential conversation, in which Laura’s history was minutely detailed, from the day of her husband’s departure to the present. The stranger, initially treated with suspicion, uses his friendly demeanor to get the kitchen staff to reveal Laura's entire story, from her husband's departure to the present day. _Shows the husband's cunning approach to learning about Laura's life._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters/dame-the-tenth - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_53_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/short_fiction_53_se/chapters