# II: The Sale of Porthgenna Tower explained — The Dead Secret

> Chapter companion for The Dead Secret by Wilkie Collins.

## What happens

Doctor Chennery recounts to Mr. Phippen the history of Porthgenna Tower's sale. He explains that Captain Treverton, unable to bear the place after his wife's death, decided to sell. The estate was not entailed, so he could sell freely, but his estranged brother Andrew Treverton was not approached due to a bitter quarrel. The chapter details the Frankland family's purchase, their failed attempts to modernize the estate, and the deep rift between the Treverton brothers.

## Themes in this chapter

### Family and Estrangement

The bitter quarrel between Captain Treverton and his brother Andrew is central, highlighting a deep familial rift that prevents reconciliation and affects the estate's fate.

### Social Class and Identity

Old Frankland's desire to 'sink the merchant in the landed grandee' and the Cornish tenantry's rejection of the Franklands as interlopers underscore class and regional identity tensions.

## Character check-ins

### Reverend Doctor Chennery

Narrates the story of Porthgenna Tower's sale to Mr. Phippen, expressing strong opinions about Andrew Treverton.

### Mr. Phippen

Listener to the vicar's story, reacts sentimentally and with delicate health concerns.

### Andrew Treverton

Estranged brother of Captain Treverton, described as misanthropic and cynical; not approached about the sale.

### Captain Treverton

Decides to sell Porthgenna Tower after his wife's death; estranged from his brother Andrew.

### Mrs. Treverton

Deceased wife of Captain Treverton; her death is a key reason for the sale of the estate.

### Rosamond Frankland

Mentioned as Captain Treverton's daughter, who moved with him after the sale.

## Key lines

> His fortune had been made by trade, and he was foolish enough to be always a little ashamed of acknowledging that one simple and creditable fact.

Old Frankland was embarrassed by his merchant origins and wanted to appear as a landed gentleman.

_Reveals Frankland's social aspirations and the stigma attached to trade in that era._

> The worst quarrel of the kind I ever heard of is the quarrel between those two brothers.

Doctor Chennery considers the Treverton brothers' estrangement the most severe family dispute he knows.

_Emphasizes the depth of the family rift._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dead_secret_se/chapters/ii-the-sale-of-porthgenna-tower
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dead_secret_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dead_secret_se/chapters