The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel · Chapter
IV explained
Following the assassination of Jean Paul Marat, Citizen Chauvelin confronts Paul Molé, Marat's servant, in the crowded lodgings.
What happens
Following the assassination of Jean Paul Marat, Citizen Chauvelin confronts Paul Molé, Marat's servant, in the crowded lodgings. Chauvelin, suspicious and unsettled by a strange glint in Molé's eyes, orders his arrest. Molé offers no resistance and is taken away by the Sûreté, while Simonne Evrard protests the tyranny of the arrest.
Themes in this chapter
Revolutionary Terror and Injustice
The arrest of Molé on mere suspicion, the crowd's fear of Chauvelin, and the summary handling of the accused illustrate the arbitrary terror of the revolutionary regime.
Identity and Disguise
Chauvelin's unsettling recognition of a strange, ironical twinkle in Molé's eyes hints at a hidden identity or disguise beneath the servant's exterior.
Characters to notice
- Citizen Chauvelin
Chauvelin, a powerful and pitiless member of the Committee of Public Safety, confronts Molé and orders his arrest after a disturbing moment of recognition.
- Paul Molé
Molé, Marat's servant, is arrested by Chauvelin. He appears hunched and trembling, offering no resistance.
- Simonne Evrard
Simonne Evrard, Marat's companion, protests Molé's arrest and rails against the tyranny of the authorities.
- Hébert
Hébert, a revolutionary guard, responds to Chauvelin's call and assists in seizing Molé.
- Jean Paul Marat
Marat lies dead in his bath, having been assassinated by a young woman from Caen.
Key passages
“Quiet, sarcastic rather than aggressive, something of the aristo, too, in his clean linen and well-cut clothes, he had not even yielded to the defunct Marat in cruelty and relentless persecution of aristocrats.”
Chauvelin, though refined in appearance, was as cruel and relentless as Marat in persecuting aristocrats.
Describes Chauvelin's character and his role in the Terror.
“The eyes into which he gazed had a strange, ironical twinkle in them, a kind of good-humoured arrogance, whilst through the firm, clear-cut lips, half hidden by a dirty and ill-kempt beard, there came the sound—oh! a mere echo—of a quaint and inane laugh.”
Chauvelin saw a mocking, arrogant glint in Molé's eyes and heard a faint, absurd laugh, which deeply unsettled him.
Highlights the moment of recognition and suspicion that leads to Molé's arrest.