The Footsteps at the Lock · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Footsteps at the Lock by Ronald A. Knox.
Chapter 1
Dedication
A brief dedication to David, in memory of the Uncas.
Chapter 2
The Footsteps at the Lock
Miles Bredon and Angela investigate the lock where the canoe was found empty, discovering footprints and clues that suggest foul play rather than an accidental drowning.
Chapter 3
I: Two Cousins
This chapter introduces the two Burtell cousins, Derek and Nigel, who are both students at Simon Magus College, Oxford. Derek is dissolute in a conventional, unimaginative way, while Nigel is an affected aesthete who cultivates a persona of rebellion and shock. Their mutual dislike is fueled by their physical resemblance and social circles. Derek, expecting a substantial inheritance at age twenty-five, has recklessly borrowed money, leading his creditors to insist he insure his life. After being rejected by a standard company, he is insured by the Indescribable agency on condition he follow Dr. Simmonds' medical advice. The chapter sets up the financial stakes and the cousins' antagonism.
Chapter 4
II: Shipcote Lock
The Burtell cousins, Derek and Nigel, canoe down the upper Thames, indifferent to the natural beauty around them. Nigel disembarks at Shipcote Lock to catch a train, leaving Derek to continue alone. The chapter provides a detailed description of the river landscape and the lock-keeper's garden, contrasting the cousins' detachment with the serene environment.
Chapter 5
III: The Canoe Adrift
Nigel Burtell, having returned to Oxford, discovers his viva examination is not until the next day. He travels to Eaton Bridge and waits at the Gudgeon Inn for his cousin Derek, who is overdue from a canoe trip. Growing anxious, Nigel enlists a local man, George Lowther, to walk upstream with him. They find Derek's hat floating in the river and the canoe adrift, full of water and damaged. A search ensues, but Derek is not found. The chapter includes a newspaper-style account of the incident and reflects on Derek's isolated life.
Chapter 6
IV: The Indescribable Has Its Doubts
Miles Bredon, the Indescribable Insurance Company's private detective, is summoned to investigate the disappearance of Derek Burtell. In a meeting with Sholto and Dr. Tremayne, he learns the details of the case: Derek's life insurance policy for £50,000 is about to expire, and the circumstances of his disappearance—a canoe found with a hole in the bottom—are suspicious. Bredon and his wife Angela plan to travel to the inn near Eaton Bridge to investigate the scene and interview the lock-keeper.
Chapter 7
Mr. Burgess Expands
Bredon and Angela continue their investigation, towing a canoe upstream and stopping at the Gudgeon Inn. They meet Mr. Burgess, the lock-keeper, who expands on his theory that the missing canoeist deliberately staged the accident and escaped via the railroad. Bredon retrieves a tobacco pouch containing a spool of used camera film from Spinnaker Farm, furthering the mystery.
Chapter 8
VI: The Archimedes Touch
Miles Bredon and his wife Angela discuss the case at the Gudgeon Inn, a self-consciously quaint establishment. Bredon critiques the police's focus on finding a body and instead raises suspicions about Nigel Burtell's alibi, which he finds too perfect. He and Angela exchange written theories about the canoe's movement, but Bredon dismisses hers due to distance issues. The next day, Bredon conducts experiments: he times how long it takes the damaged canoe to fill with water and then performs an 'Archimedes touch' by deliberately baling water into a canoe to simulate sinking. Angela returns from Oxford with developed photographs.
Chapter 9
VII: The Camera Cannot Lie
Angela presents Bredon with six photographs she developed. Bredon analyzes each image, deducing that the final photograph shows a man who appears dead or drugged in a canoe near the lock-stream bridge. He reconstructs the sequence of events, suggesting the photographer walked up the bridge steps backwards to avoid leaving identifiable footprints, and that the photograph of the footprints was accidental. Bredon plans to confront Nigel with a fabricated story about finding the photos to gauge his reaction.
Chapter 10
A Common-Room Dinner
Bredon visits Nigel in Oxford to return developed photographs he found near the river, using the pretext to observe Nigel's reactions. Nigel's affected aestheticism and evasiveness hint at deception. Later, Bredon dines with his Uncle Robert in Salisbury Common-room, where he overhears the Dean of Simon Magus discussing the Burtell cousins and the possibility of suicide or loss of memory, deepening the mystery.
Chapter 11
IX: Nigel Goes Down
Bredon and Angela discuss the case over breakfast, debating whether Nigel Burtell could have murdered his cousin Derek. Bredon argues that Nigel's alibi is strong, as the canoe would have taken too long to drift downstream for Nigel to have been responsible. They plan a motor trip along the river to investigate the Burtells' stops, using the pretext of searching for a lost camera. At Millington Bridge, they learn that one of the cousins arrived late, claiming the other had gone back to fetch a camera from the canoe, and that the first guest had breakfast in bed while the other paid the bill and left early.
Chapter 12
X: Discordant Notes
The Burtell case continues to generate public sensation and amateur detective activity. Inspector Leyland reports his investigation findings, which include a suspiciously perfect alibi for Nigel. Meanwhile, Mr. Erasmus Quirk, an American detective club member, arrives at the Gudgeon and insinuates himself into the Bredons' company, prompting Angela to offer misleading half-truths about her husband's involvement. Leyland and Bredon discuss the evidence, including the lock-keeper's testimony and the stranger's polite gesture.
Chapter 13
Mr. Erasmus Quirk
Inspector Leyland and Miles Bredon discuss the puzzling evidence of two wallets found at different locations, suggesting the canoe journey involved two separate episodes. They consider tracking Nigel Burtell and the mysterious man in the punt. Their conversation is interrupted by Mr. Erasmus Quirk, an American detective who proposes to collaborate by revealing a point they have missed. Quirk suggests that the landlady at Millington Bridge may have mistaken one man for two, implying Derek Burtell may not have slept there. They revisit the inn, where the landlady's description of the first guest matches Nigel, and they inspect the rooms, finding no clear proof but reinforcing Quirk's theory.
Chapter 14
XII: The Secret of the Island
Bredon and Leyland reconstruct the events of the crime, concluding that Nigel Burtell murdered his cousin Derek and staged the canoe disappearance. They deduce that Nigel faked Derek's presence at Millington Bridge, used the lock to hide the body, and likely hid it on Shipcote Island with an accomplice. They then paddle to the island, finding a path suggesting a heavy weight was dragged through the undergrowth.
Chapter 15
XIII: Pursued
Leyland plans to investigate the man in the punt while Bredon reviews his notes on the Burtell case. Bredon engages Mr. Quirk in a speculative conversation about the cousins' disappearance, exploring motives such as Aunt Alma's wealth and the possibility of a kidnapping or murder plot. Quirk suggests that Derek Burtell may have been fleeing enemies, and that Nigel's disappearance could be linked to the same perpetrators.
Chapter 16
XIV: The Man in the Punt
Leyland returns from tracing the mysterious man in the punt, who hired a punt under the name Luke Wallace with a false address. The man was seen asking questions about the Burtells at Millington Bridge and then continued upstream. Bredon and Leyland reconstruct the possible collusion between Nigel and Wallace, involving the disposal of Derek's body, the use of a second canoe, and the planting of evidence. They still face unresolved questions about the second notecase and the identity of the person who passed Spinnaker Farm.
Chapter 17
XV: A New Legacy
Mrs. Coolman, the great-aunt of Derek and Nigel Burtell, dies peacefully. Her will, drawn up shortly before her death, leaves nearly a hundred thousand pounds to Derek, with Edward Farris as the alternative heir. This new development shifts suspicion away from Nigel and onto Farris, who now has a strong motive for Derek's murder. The police and Bredon discuss the implications with Mr. Quirk.
Chapter 18
XVI: Bredon Plays Patience
Leyland returns to Oxford to consult solicitors, while Mr. Quirk investigates the man in the punt's purchases. Bredon and Angela take a holiday on the Windrush. A cipher postcard arrives for Nigel, which Bredon decodes by interpreting groups of three digits as railway station names, revealing a hidden message.
Chapter 19
XVII: Mr. Quirk Disappears
Leyland returns with news that Derek Burtell may be alive, having found a letter at the White Hart in White Bracton that explains the Bradshaw cipher. The group debates whether the cousins are in active correspondence, with Bredon arguing that Nigel likely sent the cipher post card himself to mislead the police into thinking Derek is alive, especially after Aunt Alma's death. They conclude that Nigel's whereabouts are unknown and that finding the man in the punt remains important.
Chapter 20
XVIII: In Undisguise
Nigel Burtell faints after being exposed as Mr. Quirk. Bredon explains to Leyland how he deduced that Quirk was actually Nigel in disguise, revealing that Nigel's undergraduate persona was an act—his round shoulders, yellow blotch, long hair, and affected drawl were all artificial. Bredon details the clues that aroused his suspicion, including the notecase planted by Nigel and the fingerprint marks on the decanters. They discuss the need to find the murderer before Nigel's alibi can be broken, and plan a reconstruction of events.
Chapter 21
XIX: The Story Nigel Told
Nigel, recovering from a heart attack, recounts his involvement in Derek's disappearance scheme. He explains the plan to fake Derek's death for insurance money, the canoe trip, the alias 'Mr. H. Anderton', and his subsequent actions including altering the canoe's hole to suggest an accident.
Chapter 22
XX: A Reconstruction
Bredon and Leyland reconstruct the events of the murder, testing the timing and feasibility of Nigel's actions. They discover a crucial shadow inconsistency in a photograph, leading them to reconsider the timeline. A stranger arrives by train and drops a ticket, which they identify as the one taken at Eaton, prompting them to follow him.
Chapter 23
XXI: A Walk in the Dark
Bredon and Leyland attempt to follow the stranger in the punt, but after a difficult overland journey through fields and obstacles, they lose track of him. They return to the Gudgeon, where Angela has supper waiting. They discuss their next move, suspecting the stranger may have abandoned the punt and taken a bus to Oxford. Suddenly, Edward Farris—the stranger himself—arrives at the inn asking for Inspector Leyland.
Chapter 24
XXII: Another Story
Mr. Edward Farris recounts his involvement in the Burtell affair, explaining how Mrs. Coolman sent him to verify Derek and Nigel's river trip, his suspicions of Nigel, and his subsequent actions including stealing the canoe paddles. Bredon and Leyland hear his story, and Bredon later visits Oxford to check Nigel's shoe size as part of the investigation.
Chapter 25
XXIII: Bredon Plays Patience Again
Nigel, now recovering, engages Angela in a philosophical debate about murder and moral responsibility, while Bredon investigates the alias 'Luke Wallace' and discovers that someone using that name stayed at a Witney hotel on the Sunday before the canoe trip. Bredon deduces that the real Derek Burtell is alive and has been using the alias.
Chapter 26
XXIV: Backed Both Ways
Miles Bredon reveals that Derek Burtell orchestrated his own disappearance and the false murder scene, using drug-induced cunning to frame his cousin Nigel. Derek's plan involved trick photography, false footprints, and a dual scheme to either have Nigel executed for murder or split the inheritance. Bredon explains how Derek's hatred and drug use led to the elaborate deception.
Chapter 27
XXV: A Postscript
In a letter to Mrs. Bredon, Nigel Burtell recounts his time in a Belgian town after Derek is found by the police. He confirms Miles Bredon's reconstruction of events, explains Derek's movements after faking his death, and describes his own moral struggle when Derek asks him to retrieve hidden drugs. Despite the temptation to let Derek die and inherit the fortune, Nigel ultimately drops the drugs into the river, adhering to an unspoken code. Derek dies on his birthday, and Nigel prepares to start a new life in America.
Chapter 28
List of Illustrations
A map showing the winding river of the upper Thames flowing from south to north.
