# V explained — The House by the River > Chapter companion for The House by the River by A. P. Herbert. ## What happens John Egerton returns home after a frustrating day at work, haunted by the memory of Emily Gaunt. He is confronted by a maid asking for a sack he borrowed from the Byrne household, forcing him to lie about losing it. Over dinner, his housekeeper Mrs. Bantam gossips about Emily's disappearance and Stephen's slanderous story that Emily was a 'hussy.' John is disgusted by Stephen's lies. Later, a series of irritating phone calls culminates in a call from Stephen, who urgently asks John to come over. ## Themes in this chapter ### Guilt and Conscience John feels sullied and ashamed by his lie about the sack, and is tormented by his complicity in covering up Emily's death. ### Community and Gossip Mrs. Bantam's relentless gossip about Emily and Stephen's slanderous story illustrate how the community constructs narratives around the disappearance. ### Appearance vs. Reality Stephen maintains a cheerful exterior while spreading lies about Emily, and John's polite demeanor masks his inner turmoil and disgust. ## Character check-ins ### John Egerton Returns home in a dark mood after a terrible day at work, lies about the sack, and is irritated by Mrs. Bantam's gossip and phone calls. ### Stephen Byrne Phones John urgently; has spread a slanderous story about Emily Gaunt to cover her disappearance. ### Emily Gaunt Dead; her memory haunts John, and Stephen has spread rumors that she was a 'hussy' to explain her disappearance. ### Mrs. Bantam John's cook-housekeeper; gossips about Emily's disappearance and Stephen's story, irritating John. ## Key lines > He hated telling lies. He was one of those uncommon members of the modern world who genuinely object to the small insincerities of daily life, lying excuses over the telephone for not going out to dinner, manufactured 'engagements,' and so on. John detested lying, being unusually principled about everyday social deceptions like fake dinner excuses. _Highlights John's moral discomfort with the lie he tells about the sack._ > He thought of it straining now towards the sea, now to the open country, yet ever plucked back by the turning, relentless tide, just as it saw green fields or smelt the smell of the sea, to travel yet once more through the dark and cruel city. He imagined the dead cat drifting back and forth with the tide, never escaping the city. _The cat's futile journey mirrors John's own trapped feelings and the inescapable memory of Emily._ > That poor girl—as good as gold, so far as he knew—should be slandered and vilified in death by the one man who should have taken care at least to keep her name clean. John is outraged that Stephen, who should protect Emily's reputation, is instead spreading lies about her after her death. _Shows John's moral condemnation of Stephen's actions._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters/v - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_house_by_the_river_se/chapters