The D’Arblay Mystery · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The D’Arblay Mystery by R. Austin Freeman.
Chapter 1
The Pool in the Wood
Stephen Gray, a young doctor, discovers the body of a man in a shallow pond in Churchyard Bottom Wood. He encounters the victim's daughter, Marion D'Arblay, who had been searching for her missing father. The police arrive, and an inspector questions both Stephen and Marion. The body is identified as Julius D'Arblay, a modeller from Ivy Cottage. The circumstances of the death are mysterious, as the water is too shallow for accidental drowning, leading to speculation about suicide or foul play.
Chapter 2
A Conference with Dr. Thorndyke
Stephen Gray, having discovered the body of Julius D'Arblay and met his daughter Marion, seeks the advice of his former teacher Dr. Thorndyke on the mysterious death. Thorndyke agrees to investigate, arranging to attend the postmortem and inquest. The chapter also covers Gray's new locum tenens position with Dr. Cornish, and ends with tea and conversation at Thorndyke's chambers.
Chapter 3
III: The Doctor's Revelations
Stephen Gray attends the inquest into Julius D'Arblay's death, where he supports Marion D'Arblay. The coroner hears evidence from Gray and Marion, and the official medical examiner reveals that D'Arblay died from aconitine poisoning injected into his back, making suicide impossible and pointing to murder.
Chapter 4
Mr. Bendelow
Stephen Gray, acting as locum tenens for Dr. Cornish, receives a summons to visit a patient named Morris in Hoxton. Upon arrival, he discovers the patient is actually Mr. Bendelow, a man suffering from terminal cancer attended by Mrs. Morris and her husband. Gray examines the emaciated, morphia-drowsy Bendelow, confirming the diagnosis made by Dr. Cropper, and feels his role is merely perfunctory.
Chapter 5
Inspector Follett’s Discovery
Inspector Follett shares with Stephen Gray the discovery of a coin and other items from the pond near the murder scene. Gray takes wax impressions of the coin and sends them to Dr. Thorndyke, hoping for his insight. Gray also reflects on his desire to consult Thorndyke about the case and encounters Dr. Solomon Usher, an old acquaintance.
Chapter 6
Marion D'Arblay at Home
Stephen Gray visits Ivy Cottage for tea with Marion D'Arblay and Miss Boler. The conversation touches on the murder investigation, Inspector Follett's discovery of a coin, and a recent suspicious bicycle accident where the brake wire was deliberately cut. Marion expresses her determination that the murderer must be caught, while Gray advises patience and vigilance.
Chapter 7
Enlarging Thorndyke's Knowledge
Thorndyke and Stephen Gray discuss the significance of the coin found at the murder scene, linking it to the victim's profession as a sculptor and suggesting a possible connection to a fraudulent coin-making scheme. Thorndyke reveals that the coin is stolen property from a murder in America, and he argues for secrecy to avoid alerting the criminal. He outlines the progress made in narrowing down the suspect's identity, connecting the two poison murders.
Chapter 8
Simon Bendelow, Deceased
Stephen Gray learns of Simon Bendelow's death and the plan for cremation. He meets with Dr. Cropper to examine the body and sign the cremation certificate, while observing the efficient and unsettling preparations by Mrs. Morris.
Chapter 9
A Strange Misadventure
Stephen Gray recounts his strange fall into the canal after visiting Simon Bendelow. Thorndyke reveals that the gold coin found on D'Arblay is an electrotype, not the original, and suggests D'Arblay may have been making copies for a dangerous client. Gray agrees to investigate D'Arblay's recent electrotype work.
Chapter 10
Marion's Peril
Stephen Gray visits Marion D'Arblay's studio for the first time, where they share tea and conversation amidst her father's eerie collection of plaster casts. Their idyllic afternoon is shattered when a mysterious attacker, lurking in the fog, stabs Marion in the lobby. Stephen drives him off and tends to her wound, then leaves to consult Dr. Thorndyke, warning the housekeeper Arabella to let Marion rest.
Chapter 11
XI: Arms and the Man
Stephen Gray visits Dr. Thorndyke late at night to report the attempted murder of Marion D'Arblay at her studio. Thorndyke analyzes a fragment of a mould found at the scene, confirming it matches the electrotype guinea linked to Julius D'Arblay's murder. He warns Gray that they are dealing with a dangerous, inveterate murderer who will kill again to protect himself. They prepare by inspecting pistols and ammunition, and Polton volunteers to assist Marion at the studio. Thorndyke advises Gray to remain vigilant and avoid solitary places.
Chapter 12
A Dramatic Discovery
Three days after the attack, Stephen Gray and Marion D'Arblay return to the studio to work, joined by Mr. Polton. During a visit, Dr. Thorndyke discovers a dusty plaster mask on top of a cupboard, which Stephen Gray identifies as the face of Mr. Morris, a dealer in antiques. This reveals that Morris had dealings with Marion's father, Julius D'Arblay, unknown to her, linking Morris to the murder investigation.
Chapter 13
A Narrow Escape
Stephen Gray reflects on the attempt on his life and visits Thorndyke to report the incident. Thorndyke shares his case notes and a photograph of an unknown man, which Gray identifies as resembling both Marion's attacker and the deceased Bendelow. Meanwhile, Gray and Polton take turns guarding Marion, and Gray visits Usher, who mentions the death of Jonathan Crile.
Chapter 14
The Haunted Man
Stephen Gray arrives at the studio and receives a message from Polton that Dr. Thorndyke expects a visit from a CID officer the next day. Polton also gives Stephen a device to see behind him without turning his head. Stephen shows Marion a photograph given by Thorndyke, which she identifies as the man who attacked her. Later, Stephen is followed and observes two mysterious men in the lane, one of whom confronts him.
Chapter 15
Thorndyke Proposes a New Move
Thorndyke and Stephen Gray discuss the baffling developments in the D'Arblay case, including the apparent impossibility of the deaths of both Crile and Bendelow. Thorndyke reveals he has formed a hypothesis and proposes to Superintendent Miller that Crile's body be exhumed to verify his identity via fingerprints, suspecting that the man buried as Crile is not the same person whose prints are on record.
Chapter 16
A Surprise for the Superintendent
Thorndyke, Superintendent Miller, Stephen Gray, and Dr. Usher conduct an exhumation of Jonathan Crile's coffin, only to find it contains a sack of sawdust and a lead pipe instead of a body. Thorndyke reveals he suspected the coffin was empty based on discrepancies in the alleged deaths of Crile and Bendelow. The group swears the cemetery officials to secrecy to preserve the element of surprise. Later, Thorndyke shows Gray a gate from the garden to the canal towpath, hinting at a connection to the murder of Julius D'Arblay.
Chapter 17
A Chapter of Surprises
Stephen Gray and Superintendent Miller arrive early at Thorndyke's chambers, where Thorndyke orchestrates a dramatic identification test. Two witnesses, Miss Dewsnep and Miss Bonington, identify a body in a coffin as Simon Bendelow, despite having witnessed his cremation. The body is later revealed to be a waxwork of Morris, not Bendelow, leading to a discussion about the impending arrest.
Chapter 18
The Last Act
Stephen Gray informs Marion and Miss Boler that an arrest is imminent, leading to confusion about the identity of the attacker. The police set up an operation at the studio, but the suspect turns out to be the red-nosed man. In the ensuing confrontation, the suspect is killed by his own knife, and Thorndyke reveals that the red-nosed man was actually Morris (Bendelow) in disguise, using makeup.
Chapter 19
Thorndyke Disentangles the Threads
Stephen Gray, recovering from his injury at Thorndyke's chambers, enjoys a tranquil convalescence with Marion D'Arblay. Thorndyke joins them for tea and provides a detailed explanation of his deductive process, unraveling the mystery surrounding the murder of Julius D'Arblay and the subsequent attacks. He reveals his hypothesis about a wax portrait mask, the forged guinea, and the suspicious circumstances of Simon Bendelow's cremation, tying together the threads of the case.
