# XIV: A Broken Tile explained — The Jade God

> Chapter companion for The Jade God by Alan Sullivan.

## What happens

Four months after the initial inventory, Mr. Jarrad and Mr. Dawkins return to Beech Lodge to reassess the contents. They discuss the recent events, including Mrs. Millicent's suicide and the mysterious foreigner's escape. While inspecting the study, they discover that a stain previously noted on the desk has vanished, and a tile on the hearth is cracked. Derrick enters and confirms he remembers when the tile was broken.

## Themes in this chapter

### Guilt and Secrecy

The vanished stain and the cracked tile hint at hidden events and unspoken truths, reinforcing the theme of concealed guilt and the secrets that linger in Beech Lodge.

### The Power of the Past

The return to the study and the unresolved mysteries of Mrs. Millicent's suicide and the foreigner's escape show how past events continue to exert influence over the present.

## Character check-ins

### Mr. Jarrad

Returns to Beech Lodge with Mr. Dawkins to conduct a second inventory; discusses the recent events and notes the disappearance of a stain and a cracked tile.

### Mr. Dawkins

Accompanies Mr. Jarrad; is troubled by the vanished stain and agrees to note the cracked tile.

### Mr. John Derrick

Enters the study as the inventory is completed; confirms he remembers when the tile was broken.

## Key lines

> I don't know when I've heard of a case just exactly like this. Here we are, paid to do precisely the same thing over again simply because a foolish woman killed herself.

Mr. Jarrad remarks on the unusual situation of being hired to repeat an inventory due to a woman's suicide.

_Highlights the irony and the lingering impact of Mrs. Millicent's death on the household._

> What we don't know won't hurt us much as long as we keep on not knowing it.

Mr. Jarrad suggests that ignorance of certain matters is safer than uncovering troubling truths.

_Reflects the theme of secrecy and the deliberate avoidance of uncomfortable knowledge._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_jade_god_se/chapters/xiv-a-broken-tile
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_jade_god_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_jade_god_se/chapters