That Affair Next Door · Chapter
XXII: A Blank Card explained
Amelia receives a blank card from Miss Van Burnam's maid, then a letter from Miss Ferguson revealing that a spy from Mr.
What happens
Amelia receives a blank card from Miss Van Burnam's maid, then a letter from Miss Ferguson revealing that a spy from Mr. Gryce may have stolen any photograph of Mrs. Van Burnam. Later, Mr. Alvord brings two letters: one from Bertha Desberger inviting Amelia to visit, and another from milliner Phineas Cox about a pale young woman who bought a hat on the morning of the murder. Amelia visits Mrs. Desberger, who describes a troubled young woman calling herself Oliver who stayed with her on the 18th and then left, possibly to answer an advertisement for a lady-companion. Amelia later sends a silk blouse to Mrs. Desberger as a gift.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Appearance
Amelia uses a veil and plain dress to conceal her identity during the visit to Mrs. Desberger, while the young woman uses a false name ('Oliver') and hides her past.
Observation and Deduction
Amelia deduces clues from the blank card, the letter from Miss Ferguson, and the details of Mrs. Desberger's story, linking the young woman to the advertisement and the murder.
Justice and Truth
Amelia persists in her investigation despite setbacks, seeking the truth about the young woman and her connection to the Van Burnam case.
Characters to notice
- Amelia Butterworth
Receives a blank card and a letter from Miss Ferguson, then interviews Mrs. Desberger to find the mysterious young woman.
- Lena
Brings the blank card to Amelia and accompanies her to Mrs. Desberger's house, acting as a relative of the missing woman.
- Miss Ferguson
Writes to Amelia explaining that no photographs of Mrs. Van Burnam remain, possibly taken by a spy from New York.
- Mr. Alvord
Brings Amelia two letters, including one from Mrs. Desberger and one from Mr. Cox, and questions her about the advertisement.
- Bertha Desberger
Hosts Amelia and Lena, describing the young woman who called herself Oliver and stayed with her on the morning of the 18th.
- Ruth Oliver
Referred to as 'Oliver' by Mrs. Desberger; the young woman who stayed there and then left to answer an advertisement for a lady-companion.
Key passages
“The next day at noon Lena brought me up a card on her tray. It was a perfectly blank one.”
At noon the following day, Lena presented me with a completely blank card on a tray.
Amelia receives a blank card, which she interprets as a signal from Miss Van Burnam's maid.
“If there was a picture there of Mrs. Van Burnam, he took it, for he departed very suddenly one night.”
If a photograph of Mrs. Van Burnam existed, he stole it, as he left abruptly one night.
Miss Ferguson suggests that a spy working for Mr. Gryce may have taken any photograph of Mrs. Van Burnam.
“She said her name was Oliver. (I thought of the O. R. on the clothes at the laundry.)”
She claimed her name was Oliver, which reminded me of the initials O. R. on the laundry items.
Amelia connects the alias 'Oliver' with the initials found on the clothing at the laundry.
“It was an advertisement for a lady-companion accustomed to the typewriter and of some taste in dressmaking, and the address given was that of Miss Althorpe.”
The advertisement sought a lady-companion skilled with a typewriter and knowledgeable in dressmaking, and the address belonged to Miss Althorpe.
Amelia discovers that the young woman may have gone to work for Miss Althorpe.
