The Leavenworth Case · Chapter
XXVII: Amy Belden explained
The narrator travels to R⸺ to meet Mrs.
What happens
The narrator travels to R⸺ to meet Mrs. Amy Belden, a widow who may hold secrets related to the case. With the help of his client Mr. Monell, he gains entry into her home by posing as a lodger. He observes her suspicious behavior at the post-office and her reluctance to take him in, deepening his suspicion that she is hiding something.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Truth
Mrs. Belden's furtive behavior with the letters and her reluctance to accept the narrator as a lodger hint at hidden knowledge or involvement in the case.
Appearance vs. Reality
Mrs. Belden appears as a respectable, charitable widow, but her actions suggest a hidden agenda, challenging the narrator's initial impression.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Arrives in R⸺ and uses Mr. Monell to gain access to Mrs. Belden's home under the pretense of needing lodging.
- Mr. Monell
The narrator's client in R⸺; he helps arrange the narrator's stay at Mrs. Belden's house and provides background information about her.
- Amy Belden
A widow living in R⸺; she is observed hiding letters at the post-office and shows hesitation about taking the narrator as a lodger, suggesting she may be concealing something.
Key passages
“I had a client in R⸺ by the name of Monell; and it was from him I had planned to learn the best way of approaching Mrs. Belden.”
The narrator intended to use his client Mr. Monell to find out how to get close to Mrs. Belden.
Establishes the narrator's strategic approach to investigating Mrs. Belden.
“Among these, for some reason, I especially noted one middle-aged woman; why, I cannot say; her appearance was anything but remarkable. And yet when she came out, with two letters in her hand, one in a large and one in a small envelope, and meeting my eye hastily drew them under her shawl, I found myself wondering what was in her letters and who she could be, that the casual glance of a stranger should unconsciously move her to an action so suspicious.”
The narrator noticed a woman at the post-office who hid her letters when she saw him, sparking his suspicion.
Highlights the narrator's keen observation and the first hint of Mrs. Belden's secretive behavior.
“I don't know, sir; I would be glad, but... the fact is, I have not taken lodgers of late, and I have got out of the way of the whole thing, and am afraid I cannot make him comfortable.”
Mrs. Belden hesitated to accept the narrator as a lodger, claiming she was out of practice.
Shows her reluctance and possible attempt to avoid scrutiny.