# XX: The Goal of the L'Escaut explained — The Cheyne Mystery

> Chapter companion for The Cheyne Mystery by Freeman Wills Crofts.

## What happens

Inspector French, Cheyne, and Price sail on an Admiralty boat to intercept the L'Escaut. After a stormy passage, they sight the Belgian vessel flying a distress flag under the British red ensign. The L'Escaut appears deserted, raising suspicions of a trap. Meanwhile, Joan Merrill recounts her ordeal: drugged, taken aboard, and held captive while the crew recovers gold from a wreck. The men mutiny over the division of spoils, and the situation remains tense as the climax approaches.

## Themes in this chapter

### Greed and Criminal Conspiracy

The crew's mutiny over gold division and the gang's elaborate plot to recover treasure highlight greed as a driving force for conflict.

### Adventure and Detection

French's pursuit across the sea, the suspense of approaching the L'Escaut, and the unraveling of Joan's story embody the detective adventure.

### Trust and Betrayal

The crew's betrayal of the captain's offer and Blessington's hidden motives toward Joan underscore themes of broken trust.

## Character check-ins

### Maxwell Cheyne

Anxious about Joan Merrill's fate; joins French and Price on the bridge at dawn, thrilled by the approaching finale.

### Inspector French

Leads the pursuit; wakes early from excitement, observes the L'Escaut's suspicious appearance, and coordinates with Captain Amery.

### Joan Merrill

Recounts her captivity aboard the L'Escaut, including drugging, polite jailers, and Blessington's unwanted attention; fears for Cheyne's safety.

### Susan Dangle

Highly agitated upon rescue; French calms her as she recounts the tragic tale of the expedition.

### Arnold Price

Excited by the prospect of recovering gold; enjoys the sea voyage and joins Cheyne and French on the bridge.

### Blessington

Revealed to have fallen in love with Joan Merrill during the voyage; his presence causes her dread.

## Key lines

> the qualities of greed and envy and selfishness have that seed of decay within themselves which leads their unhappy victims to overreach themselves, and instead of gaining what they seek, to lose their all.

Greed and selfishness inherently cause their own downfall, making people lose everything they try to gain.

_Narrator's moral reflection on the gang's fate._

> He had to get the gold, if it was salvable, and the fact that they were not in British waters would be a complication if the Belgian had already recovered it.

Captain Amery faced the challenge of salvaging gold outside British jurisdiction, which would complicate matters if the Belgian ship had already retrieved it.

_Explains the legal and practical difficulties of the mission._

> for Cheyne there remained something a thousand times more important than the capture of a criminal or the acquisition of a fortune—for Cheyne the question of Joan Merrill’s life was at stake.

Cheyne cared far more about Joan Merrill's safety than about catching criminals or gaining wealth.

_Highlights Cheyne's personal stake in the rescue._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cheyne_mystery_se/chapters/xx-the-goal-of-the-l-escaut
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