The Cloven Foot · Chapter
Edward Clare Goes on a Voyage of Discovery explained
Edward Clare, nursing a deep hatred for John Treverton, resolves to uncover the truth about Treverton's past, suspecting he is the husband of the murdered dancer Zaïre Chicot.
What happens
Edward Clare, nursing a deep hatred for John Treverton, resolves to uncover the truth about Treverton's past, suspecting he is the husband of the murdered dancer Zaïre Chicot. He manipulates a conversation about photography to learn that Treverton had his picture taken by Nadar in Paris. Clare then travels to London, finds Mrs. Evitt's lodging house in Cibber Street, and secures rooms formerly occupied by Desrolles, intending to investigate the murder and prove Treverton's fraud. He also enlists Gerard's help for a trip to Devonshire.
Themes in this chapter
Secrets and Deception
Edward Clare's quest to uncover John Treverton's hidden past and the alleged bigamy drives the chapter's tension.
Crime and Justice
The unresolved murder of La Chicot and Edward's determination to expose fraud highlight themes of crime and moral justice.
Love and Marriage
Laura's trusting love for John contrasts with Edward's belief that the marriage is invalid, questioning the legitimacy of their union.
Characters to notice
- Edward Clare
Driven by hatred and a sense of chivalrous duty, he plans to expose John Treverton's alleged bigamy and fraud.
- John Treverton
Recovering from illness, he casually mentions having been photographed by Nadar in Paris years ago.
- Laura Malcolm
Cheerfully suggests having John photographed, unaware of Edward's ulterior motives.
- Celia Clare
Present during the conversation at Hazlehurst, part of the kettledrum party.
- Gerard
Agrees to accompany Edward Clare to Devonshire, motivated by curiosity about La Chicot's fate.
- Mrs. Evitt
Now landlady of the house in Cibber Street, she rents Edward the rooms formerly occupied by Desrolles.
Key passages
“The ways of civilisation are not as the ways of the desert. There are men and women whose animosity is not to be appeased by kindness—who will take all they can get from a man, and go on detesting him cordially to the end.”
Unlike 'savages' who can be won over by hospitality, civilized people sometimes harbor relentless hatred despite receiving kindness.
The narrator contrasts primitive and civilized behavior to explain Edward Clare's persistent enmity.
“If this man was indeed, as Edward believed, the husband of Zaïre Chicot, the dancer, then his marriage with Laura was no marriage, and the conditions of the will had not been fulfilled.”
Edward suspects that John Treverton is already married to Zaïre Chicot, which would make his marriage to Laura invalid and violate the will's terms.
This reveals Edward's central accusation and motivation for investigating.
“No man—assuredly, no man of decent antecedents—reaches the lowest depth of iniquity all at once.”
A person with a respectable background does not become utterly evil overnight; it is a gradual descent.
Gerard reflects on the moral decline that led to La Chicot's murder.