# II: A Link Cuff-Button explained — The Circular Staircase > Chapter companion for The Circular Staircase by Mary Roberts Rinehart. ## What happens After a terrifying first night at Sunnyside, Rachel Innes and Liddy Allen are unnerved by strange noises and a mysterious figure at the window. Liddy insists it was a man in a long coat, not a woman. The lights go out at midnight, and a metallic clatter echoes through the house. Rachel discovers a small pearl-and-ruby cufflink in a linen hamper blocking the east-wing stairs, which she recognizes as not belonging to Halsey. She hires a new housekeeper, Anne Watson, and decides to investigate further despite her fears. ## Themes in this chapter ### Appearance vs. Reality Liddy initially thinks the figure at the window is a woman, but later insists it was a man in a long coat, highlighting deceptive appearances. ### Isolation and Vulnerability Rachel and Liddy feel trapped and vulnerable in the dark, empty house, with no help nearby. ## Character check-ins ### Rachel Innes Narrator and protagonist; she investigates the strange occurrences and finds the cufflink. ### Liddy Allen Rachel's nervous maid; she is terrified by the events and insists the figure was a man. ### Thomas Johnson The caretaker who arrives in the morning to open the house. ### Anne Watson Newly hired housekeeper; she is described as capable with snapping black eyes. ## Key lines > Liddy’s knees seemed to give away under her. Without a sound she sank down, leaving me staring at the window in petrified amazement. Liddy collapsed in fear, and Rachel stood frozen, staring at the window in shock. _The initial sighting of the mysterious figure at the window._ > It was a rattling metallic sound, and it reverberated along the empty halls like the crash of doom. A loud, metallic clatter echoed through the empty hallways, sounding ominous. _The strange noise that Rachel hears from the east wing._ > It was of Italian workmanship, and consisted of a mother-of-pearl foundation, encrusted with tiny seed-pearls, strung on horsehair to hold them. In the center was a small ruby. The cufflink was finely made, with a mother-of-pearl base, tiny seed-pearls, and a small ruby in the center. _Description of the cufflink found in the linen hamper._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters/ii-a-link-cuff-button - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_circular_staircase_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_circular_staircase_se/chapters