The League of the Scarlet Pimpernel · Chapter
X explained
Chauvelin grapples with doubt as he observes the prisoner in the Abbaye, who appears to be Paul Molé but whose eyes do not match those of the real Scarlet Pimpernel.
What happens
Chauvelin grapples with doubt as he observes the prisoner in the Abbaye, who appears to be Paul Molé but whose eyes do not match those of the real Scarlet Pimpernel. Despite Hébert's and the guards' assurances, Chauvelin's certainty wavers, though he forces himself to trust the evidence of capture.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Disguise
Chauvelin's crisis of certainty centers on the prisoner's identity, as the physical appearance of Paul Molé masks or fails to mask the true nature of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
Fear and Superstition
Chauvelin experiences a superstitious dread, feeling an unfathomable mystery and momentary cowardice as he gazes at the prisoner.
Characters to notice
- Citizen Chauvelin
Plagued by doubt and a sense of the uncanny, Chauvelin struggles to reconcile the prisoner's appearance with his knowledge of the Scarlet Pimpernel.
- Paul Molé
The prisoner in the cell, presenting a grimy, stubbly appearance and fish-like eyes, which Chauvelin finds disturbingly unlike the real Scarlet Pimpernel.
- Hébert
Stolid guard who reports the prisoner's behavior and shares Chauvelin's doubts about the identity of the captive.
Key passages
“A cold sweat ran down Chauvelin’s spine as he gazed, mute and immovable, into those fish-like, bleary eyes, which were not—no! they were not those of the real Scarlet Pimpernel.”
Chauvelin felt a chill of horror as he stared into the prisoner's dull eyes, realizing they did not belong to the true Scarlet Pimpernel.
Highlights Chauvelin's moment of doubt and the theme of mistaken identity.
“He should have the alert brain of a Robespierre, the physical strength of a Danton, the relentlessness of a Marat.”
The guard needed to combine the sharpness of Robespierre, the strength of Danton, and the ruthlessness of Marat.
Illustrates Chauvelin's ideal of the perfect jailer and the paranoia of the era.