The Haunted Hotel · Chapter
XVII explained
Henry Westwick arrives at the newly opened Palace Hotel in Venice, inadvertently switching to Room 14 where he suffers sleeplessness and loss of appetite.
What happens
Henry Westwick arrives at the newly opened Palace Hotel in Venice, inadvertently switching to Room 14 where he suffers sleeplessness and loss of appetite. Later, Mrs. Norbury stays in the same room and experiences terrifying dreams of her dead brother, Lord Montbarry. Her maid reveals the room was where Lord Montbarry died, and the manager renumbers the room as 13A to protect the hotel's reputation.
Themes in this chapter
Supernatural and the Unknown
The haunting of Room 14/13A is attributed to Lord Montbarry's ghost, causing sleeplessness, loss of appetite, and terrifying dreams in family members.
Guilt and Retribution
Mrs. Norbury's dreams of her brother dying in various horrific ways suggest a lingering guilt or unresolved retribution connected to Lord Montbarry's death.
Deception and Secrets
The manager renumbers the room to 13A and suppresses gossip to hide the room's history, deceiving future guests about its haunted nature.
Characters to notice
- Henry Westwick
Arrives at the Palace Hotel, switches to Room 14, and experiences unexplained sleeplessness and loss of appetite.
- Mrs. Norbury
Stays in Room 14 and later Room 38, suffering from horrific dreams of her dead brother, Lord Montbarry.
- Lord Montbarry
Deceased; his ghost is believed to haunt the hotel, and his death room is the source of the disturbances.
- Francis Westwick
Mentioned as being in Milan negotiating for a dancer; Mrs. Norbury makes his apologies.
- Arthur Barville
Mentioned as expected to arrive in Venice with his wife for the honeymoon festival.
Key passages
“The hotel was beginning well, at all events. So much interest in the enterprise had been aroused, at home and abroad, by profuse advertising, that the whole accommodation of the building had been secured by travellers of all nations for the opening night.”
The hotel's grand opening was a success, with all rooms booked due to extensive advertising.
Highlights the initial success of the Palace Hotel.
“Without the slightest assignable reason, however, his just expectations were disappointed. The luxurious bed, the well-ventilated room, the delicious tranquillity of Venice by night, all were in favour of his sleeping well. He never slept at all.”
Despite ideal conditions, Henry Westwick could not sleep for no apparent reason.
Describes Henry's unexplained insomnia in Room 14.
“The reiterated horror of these dreams had such an effect on her that she rose with the dawn of day, afraid to trust herself again in bed.”
Mrs. Norbury's repeated nightmares were so terrifying that she got up at dawn and dared not return to bed.
Shows the psychological impact of the haunting on Mrs. Norbury.
“By this device, Number Fourteen disappeared at once and forever from the books of the hotel, as the number of a bedroom to let.”
The manager's renumbering scheme made Room 14 vanish from the hotel's rental records permanently.
Explains how the hotel concealed the haunted room's identity.