The Last Post · Chapter
II explained
Sylvia Tietjens, riding in the countryside, reflects on her campaign to have Groby Great Tree cut down, which has resulted in damage to Groby House.
What happens
Sylvia Tietjens, riding in the countryside, reflects on her campaign to have Groby Great Tree cut down, which has resulted in damage to Groby House. She recalls her failed divorce case against Christopher, orchestrated by the vulgar Mr. Sylvian Hatt, and feels a sense of religious trepidation, believing that God may have changed sides after the tree's felling. She encounters Gunning, who warns her against causing harm to Valentine Wannop, and she experiences a moment of panic and spiritual crisis, contemplating seeking an annulment from Rome.
Themes in this chapter
Marriage and Morality
Sylvia's failed divorce case and her contemplation of seeking an annulment from Rome highlight the moral and legal complexities of marriage.
Memory and the Past
Sylvia's vivid recollection of her childhood with Mr. Carter and her memories of Father Consett's prophecy shape her present actions.
Class and Social Change
The de Bray Papes' American wealth and their impact on Groby symbolize the decline of the old English aristocracy and the rise of new money.
War and Its Aftermath
Sylvia's memory of being shelled in France during the war underscores the lingering trauma and changed social landscape.
Characters to notice
- Sylvia Tietjens
Reflects on her campaign against Groby Great Tree, her failed divorce case, and her spiritual crisis; encounters Gunning and feels God may have turned against her.
- Gunning
Warns Sylvia against causing harm to Valentine Wannop, recalling his own punishment by Mark Tietjens.
- Mrs. de Bray Pape
Mentioned as the agent of cutting down Groby Great Tree, causing damage to Groby House; Sylvia considers manipulating her to refurnish the house.
- Christopher Tietjens
Referenced as the target of Sylvia's revenge; his boyhood bedroom was destroyed in the tree's fall.
- Mark Tietjens
Mentioned as possibly dead or dying; Sylvia hopes to play tricks on him and recalls his punishment of Gunning.
- Valentine Wannop
Referenced in Gunning's warning about causing her a miscarriage; Sylvia recalls her in the context of the divorce case.
- Father Consett
Recalled by Sylvia as a martyr who prophesied her vulgar acts; she feels his shadow and influence over her actions.
- Mr. Sylvian Hatt
Sylvia's counsel in the divorce case, whose florid oratory embarrassed her and caused a fiasco.
Key passages
“Perhaps in letting Groby Great Tree be cut down God was lifting the ban off the Tietjenses.”
Sylvia wonders if the destruction of the tree signifies divine favor shifting away from the Tietjens family.
Reflects Sylvia's superstitious belief that the tree's felling alters God's stance.
“She had precipitately left the court when Mr. Hatt had for the second time appealed for pity for her—but she had not been able to stop it.”
Sylvia fled the courtroom when her lawyer again begged for sympathy on her behalf, though she could not prevent the spectacle.
Highlights Sylvia's humiliation and loss of control during the divorce proceedings.
“Gunning was saying something to the effect that if she caused Mrs. Valentine to have a miscarriage or an idiot child, ’Is Lordship woul’ flay all the flesh off ’er bones with ’is own ridin’ crop.”
Gunning warns Sylvia that Mark Tietjens would violently punish her if she harmed Valentine or her unborn child.
Illustrates the threat of violence and Mark's protective stance toward Valentine.
