Strong Poison · Chapter
XVII explained
Miss Climpson visits Miss Booth under the guise of a spiritualist séance, gathering information about the household and Mrs.
What happens
Miss Climpson visits Miss Booth under the guise of a spiritualist séance, gathering information about the household and Mrs. Wrayburn while participating in a manipulated table-rapping session.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
Miss Climpson and Miss Booth both engage in deception—Miss Climpson pretends to believe in the séance, while Miss Booth fakes the spirit communications.
The Role of Women
The chapter highlights women's roles as caregivers (Miss Booth as nurse) and as participants in spiritualist practices, often a socially acceptable outlet for women.
Characters to notice
- Miss Climpson
Conducts an undercover investigation, posing as a spiritualist to gather information from Miss Booth.
- Miss Booth
Hosts the séance, acts as medium, and reveals personal history through the fake communications.
- Mrs. Wrayburn
Mentioned as the helpless, wealthy patient under Miss Booth's care.
Key passages
“Satisfactory, so far, thought Miss Climpson. Confidence was well established. In a few days’ time, she would be able to work her plan.”
Miss Climpson felt that she had successfully gained Miss Booth's trust and could soon execute her investigation.
Reflects Miss Climpson's strategic approach to the undercover operation.
“It is very tiring to rap out letters of the alphabet, and she was afraid the soapbox was slipping.”
The medium found the physical effort of producing the rapping sounds exhausting and worried that her hidden soapbox would shift.
Reveals the mechanical trickery behind the séance, underscoring the theme of deception.