# La Chicot Has Her Own Way explained — The Cloven Foot

> Chapter companion for The Cloven Foot by M. E. Braddon.

## What happens

Jack Chicot endures a miserable winter in London, trapped in a degrading marriage to the ballet dancer La Chicot. He works as a draughtsman while she drinks and spends her salary. She insists on performing a dangerous ascent in a new ballet, ignoring his fears. After she accepts an anonymous gold bracelet, they quarrel, and Jack leaves for a few days, asking Desrolles to watch over her.

## Themes in this chapter

### Secrets and Deception

Jack Chicot hides his true feelings and plans from his wife, and the anonymous gift of the bracelet introduces deception and hidden motives.

### Love and Marriage

The chapter explores the decay of a marriage, with Jack feeling trapped and La Chicot indifferent to his concerns.

### Bohemianism vs. Respectability

Jack's life as a draughtsman and his wife's career as a ballet dancer contrast with his longing for respectability and a life free from scandal.

## Character check-ins

### Chicot

Jack Chicot, the husband of La Chicot, feels trapped in a miserable marriage, working as a draughtsman and fearing for his wife's safety.

### La Chicot

La Chicot, a ballet dancer, insists on performing a dangerous ascent and accepts an anonymous gold bracelet, leading to a quarrel with her husband.

### Mr. Desrolles

Desrolles agrees to keep an eye on La Chicot while Jack Chicot leaves for a few days.

### Mr. Smolendo

Smolendo, the manager, dismisses Jack's concerns about the drunk scene shifter working the machinery for La Chicot's ascent.

## Key lines

> Slowly, reluctantly, Winter crawled away to his hidden lair, and made room for a chilly, uncomfortable spring.

Winter ended reluctantly, giving way to a cold and unpleasant spring.

_Describes the bleak atmosphere and Jack's mood._

> He felt like a man standing on the edge of a black gulf, blindfolded, yet knowing that the pit was there.

He felt as if he were on the brink of a dark abyss, unable to see but aware of the danger.

_Illustrates Jack's sense of impending doom._

> La Chicot had her own way, naturally, being one of those women who once having taken their bent are no more to be diverted than a mountain torrent which the rains have swollen.

La Chicot always got what she wanted, as she was as unstoppable as a swollen river.

_Highlights her stubbornness and determination._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters/vi-la-chicot-has-her-own-way
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_cloven_foot_se/chapters