Strong Poison · Chapter
XIII explained
Miss Murchison visits Lord Peter Wimsey's flat for the first time, where he enlists her help in a covert operation to open a solicitor's deed box.
What happens
Miss Murchison visits Lord Peter Wimsey's flat for the first time, where he enlists her help in a covert operation to open a solicitor's deed box. She receives lock-picking training from the reformed burglar Bill Rumm, while Wimsey explains his suspicion that Mr. Urquhart showed him a forged draft of Mrs. Wrayburn's will. Miss Murchison is to search for the real will and memorize its key details.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
Wimsey suspects Urquhart of showing a forged will draft to mislead him, highlighting the theme of deceptive appearances in legal and personal matters.
Class and Snobbery
Miss Murchison's reflections on her job search and the contrast between her plain, business-like demeanor and Wimsey's aristocratic setting underscore class dynamics.
Characters to notice
- Miss Murchison
Visits Lord Peter's flat for the first time; receives lock-picking instruction from Bill Rumm; is tasked with opening a deed box to find the real will.
- Lord Peter Wimsey
Hosts Miss Murchison at his flat; explains his suspicion that Urquhart forged a will draft; arranges the lock-picking lesson and outlines the mission.
- Bunter
Opens the door for Miss Murchison and serves tea before being dismissed by Wimsey.
- Mr. Bill Rumm
Reformed burglar and locksmith; teaches Miss Murchison how to pick locks, demonstrating with various lock plates and a combination lock.
- Mrs. Rumm
Bill Rumm's wife; reproves Bill for his nostalgic talk about burglary and participates in the evening's hymn singing.
- Mr. Norman Urquhart
Discussed as the solicitor who showed Wimsey a suspicious will draft typed on a machine bought only three years ago; the target of the investigation.
Key passages
“Praise God! He was the most accomplished burglar and safe breaker in the three kingdoms. He doesn’t mind my telling you this, because he’s taken his medicine and finished with it all and is now a very honest and excellent locksmith of the ordinary kind.”
Bill Rumm was once a top burglar but has reformed and now works as a respectable locksmith.
Wimsey introduces Bill Rumm's criminal past and his reformation to Miss Murchison.
“There ain’t no need of all them fancy wards, you see, miss. The barrel and the spring—that’s all there is to it.”
The basic lock mechanism is simple, consisting only of a barrel and a spring.
Bill Rumm explains the simplicity of lock construction during the lock-picking lesson.
“Now the snag about it is that that draft was typed on a machine which, as you tell me, was bought new from the makers only three years ago.”
The will draft Urquhart showed Wimsey was typed on a typewriter purchased just three years ago, which is suspicious.
Wimsey explains the anachronism that suggests the draft is a forgery.