The Lady of the Barge · Chapter
Bill's Paper Chase explained
The night watchman recounts the story of Thomas Geary, a miserly sailor who dies aboard the barque Grenada, having hidden his life savings of six hundred pounds.
What happens
The night watchman recounts the story of Thomas Geary, a miserly sailor who dies aboard the barque Grenada, having hidden his life savings of six hundred pounds. Before dying, he tricks a boy named Jimmy into supposedly throwing the money overboard, but Bill Hicks suspects the boy kept it. Bill and the narrator conspire to get a share, leading to a tense search and negotiation with Jimmy, who eventually claims to have hidden the money in the second mate's mattress.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Its Consequences
Thomas Geary's miserly hoarding and Bill's desperate scheming for the money illustrate the corrupting power of greed.
Deception and Betrayal
Thomas deceives everyone about his money, Jimmy lies about throwing it overboard, and Bill betrays trust to get a share.
Crime and Moral Ambiguity
The characters operate in a moral gray area, with Bill justifying theft as 'not robbery' and the narrator complicit in the scheme.
Characters to notice
- Bill Hicks
The main instigator who schemes to get Thomas Geary's hidden money, threatening and bargaining with Jimmy.
- Thomas Geary
The miser who dies aboard the Grenada, having hoarded six hundred pounds and tricked Jimmy into pretending to throw it overboard.
- Walter Jones
A shipmate who comments on Thomas's illness and tries to comfort him, but is called a shark by the dying man.
- Jimmy Fletcher
The boy who was entrusted with Thomas's money; he outwits Bill by hiding it and eventually agrees to share it.
- Nick Gunn
The night watchman and narrator of the story, who becomes Bill's reluctant partner in the scheme.
Key passages
“I saved some money once—two golden sovereigns, owing to a ’ole in my pocket.”
I once saved two gold sovereigns by accident because they fell through a hole in my pocket.
The night watchman uses this anecdote to contrast his own accidental thrift with Thomas Geary's deliberate miserliness.
“I’m not going to die,” says Thomas “How can I die and leave all that money?””
Thomas refuses to accept his mortality, arguing that he cannot die because he would have to abandon his savings.
Highlights the theme of greed and the irrational attachment to wealth even in the face of death.
“I gave it to Jimmy—to—to—throw overboard for me.”
I entrusted it to Jimmy to toss into the sea for me.
Thomas's dying act of deception, pretending to destroy his money to prevent others from spending it.
“It ain’t robbery becos it belongs to nobody, and it ain’t the boy’s becos ’e was told to throw it overboard.”
It's not theft because the money has no owner, and it's not the boy's because he was ordered to discard it.
Bill's twisted logic to justify taking the money for himself, showing moral ambiguity.
“I found it in my trousers pocket.”
I discovered it in my own pocket.
Jimmy's lie to explain why the money wasn't actually thrown overboard, revealing his cunning.