The Lodger · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Lodger by Marie Belloc Lowndes.
Chapter 1
Epigraph
The chapter opens with a biblical epigraph from Psalm 88:18, foreshadowing themes of isolation, loss, and abandonment.
Chapter 2
The Lodger
The Buntings, facing financial ruin, take in a mysterious lodger named Mr. Sleuth, whose peculiar habits and nighttime wanderings soon arouse suspicion. Meanwhile, a series of murders by a figure known as 'The Avenger' terrorizes London, and the household becomes entangled in fear and moral ambiguity.
Chapter 3
I
Mr. and Mrs. Bunting sit in their carefully maintained sitting-room, which outwardly projects an image of respectability and comfort. In reality, they are on the brink of financial ruin, having sold or pawned most of their valuables. Their only remaining friend is Joe Chandler, a young detective who has lent them money. As they struggle with hunger and cold, the evening newspaper boys cry out news of the latest Avenger murder, adding to their unease.
Chapter 4
The Arrival of the Lodger
Mrs. Bunting, nervous and in the dark, answers a hesitant double knock at the door. She finds a tall, gaunt man in an Inverness cape and top hat, who introduces himself as Mr. Sleuth and seeks lodgings. Despite initial misgivings, she shows him the rooms; he is particularly drawn to the top-floor rooms with a gas stove and sink, which he says suit his scientific experiments. He agrees to take them, paying a month in advance, and his eccentric, anxious manner both unsettles and relieves the Buntings.
Chapter 5
Chapter III
Mrs. Bunting attends to the lodger's peculiar requests, including turning pictures to the wall and borrowing a Bible. She recalls a similar incident from her youth, which reassures her. Mr. Sleuth reads aloud from the Bible, unsettling her with his choice of verses.
Chapter 6
IV
Mrs. Bunting wakes up feeling relieved and hopeful thanks to the arrival of the new lodger, Mr. Sleuth, who pays two guineas a week. She goes out to buy him necessities, including razors, and hears unsettling details about the Avenger murders. Later, detective Joe Chandler visits, discussing the Avenger case and inquiring about Daisy. Mr. Sleuth goes out after dark, and parcels of secondhand clothes arrive for him. Mrs. Bunting becomes suspicious about his missing bag, which she never sees again.
Chapter 7
V
Mrs. Bunting reflects on the quiet, pleasant routine of life with Mr. Sleuth, noting his eccentricities—his preference for being waited on only by her, his use of Cruden's Concordance and the Bible, his distrust of women, and his careless handling of money. She recalls discovering his nocturnal wanderings. Joe Chandler visits, shaken after witnessing the latest Avenger murder and finding the killer's signature note. He shares details of the crime, and later Mr. Bunting returns with a newspaper. The newsboys' cries awaken Mr. Sleuth.
Chapter 8
Chapter VI
Mrs. Bunting struggles with anxiety and denial about the lodger's suspicious behavior while receiving news that her stepdaughter Daisy is coming to stay. The chapter explores her internal conflict, her irritation with Bunting's idleness, and the growing tension surrounding the Avenger murders. Joe Chandler visits and discusses the police's lack of progress, and Mrs. Bunting secretly checks the newspaper for news of the murders, finding relief that no new clues have emerged. The lodger announces he will not go out until nighttime, heightening her unease.
Chapter 9
VII
Daisy arrives in London amid news of two more Avenger murders. Mrs. Bunting suffers a hysterical episode upon hearing the cries of news vendors, but recovers when the lodger rings his bell. She insists on serving Mr. Sleuth herself and rearranges sleeping arrangements to keep Daisy close.
Chapter 10
The Black Museum
Daisy Bunting visits New Scotland Yard with her father and Joe Chandler, touring the Fingerprint Room and the Black Museum. The exhibits of murder weapons and death masks unsettle Daisy, while Bunting becomes fascinated by the tools of Charles Peace and discussions of the Avenger murders. Chandler invites Daisy to visit his mother in Richmond.
Chapter 11
Chapter X
Mrs. Bunting takes advantage of the lodger's absence to search his room, discovering a hidden bag in the chiffonnier and accidentally spilling red ink. She confesses the accident to Mr. Sleuth, who reacts with initial alarm but calms down. Later, the family discusses their visit to the Black Museum, and Daisy dresses up, expecting Joe Chandler, while Mrs. Bunting remains distracted and troubled.
Chapter 12
Chapter XI
Nine days after the double murder, Joe Chandler visits the Buntings. Daisy reads aloud newspaper letters about The Avenger, including a theory comparing the killer to Jekyll and Hyde and suggesting he is a gentleman from the West End. Mrs. Bunting, hearing Mr. Sleuth overhead, nervously dismisses the West End theory and insists the killer is a sailor from the Docks.
Chapter 13
XII
Mrs. Bunting insists that Daisy must visit her Aunt Margaret in Belgrave Square, despite Daisy's strong objections and Bunting's attempts to intervene. The argument reveals underlying tensions about money, duty, and Daisy's budding romance with Joe Chandler. After the decision is made, Mrs. Bunting goes out to send a telegram, but her thoughts are consumed by Mr. Sleuth's strange behavior and her own guilty wish for another Avenger murder.
Chapter 14
Chapter XIII
Mrs. Bunting struggles with her growing suspicion that Mr. Sleuth is The Avenger, torn between her duty to society and her protective attachment to him. She listens anxiously for his movements, and when he insists on going out in the fog, she tries to bar his way but ultimately relents, haunted by fear and moral conflict.
Chapter 15
XIV
Bunting expresses relief at the lodger's return and worries about his nighttime wanderings, while Mrs. Bunting grows increasingly uneasy. She secretly listens to Mr. Sleuth's movements and is startled when he unexpectedly comes down to the kitchen, asking to use her gas stove for an experiment after his own slot-machine stove malfunctions. Despite her fear, she agrees, and the lodger plans to work late after the Buntings have gone to bed.
Chapter 16
XV
Mrs. Bunting tries to stay awake to observe the lodger's nighttime activities but falls asleep. She wakes to a strange acrid smell and hears him moving about. The next morning, news of another Avenger murder in the Edgware Road terrifies her, and she struggles with her suspicions while trying to maintain normalcy.
Chapter 17
Chapter XVI
Mr. Bunting's restlessness and guilt over the recent murder near their home contrasts with Mrs. Bunting's growing terror and suspicion of the lodger. She bolts herself in the kitchen, haunted by an invisible presence, and later overhears Mr. Sleuth quoting biblical passages about stolen waters and death. When she serves him, he gives her a half-sovereign for using the kitchen the previous night, his hands cold and clammy. The day is marked by street noise and a visit from Joe Chandler, whose loud knock disturbs the lodger, but Mr. Sleuth dismisses it. Mrs. Bunting's fear and pity for the lodger intensify.
Chapter 18
XVII
Mrs. Bunting wakes early and energetically cleans the house, ignoring Bunting's protests. She shows an unusual interest in the newspaper's coverage of the Avenger murders, particularly a Special Investigator's column about rubber sole footprints. After reading about the inquest scheduled for that afternoon, she decides to attend, telling Bunting she will visit a doctor for her headaches.
Chapter 19
XVIII
Mrs. Bunting attends the inquest on one of The Avenger's victims, recalling a previous inquest from her past. She deceives her husband about her destination, driven by a secret, morbid curiosity to hear descriptions of the murderer. At the inquest, she observes the crowd of journalists and officials, feeling the irony of her presence among them.
Chapter 20
XIX
Mrs. Bunting attends the Avenger inquest at the Coroner's Court, observing the witnesses, the jury, and the coroner. She listens to various testimonies, including those of women who claim to have seen the murderer, and feels a growing sense of horror and remorse as the details of the crimes are recounted.
Chapter 21
Chapter XX
After attending the Avenger inquest, Mrs. Bunting returns home exhausted and haunted by visions of the victims. She lies to her husband about seeing the doctor, then tends to Mr. Sleuth's supper. The lodger seems lonely and forlorn, and Mrs. Bunting feels a mix of pity and horror. She hints at the danger of going out at night, but Mr. Sleuth responds with religious defiance. Later, she wakes to hear him creeping out in his rubber-soled shoes.
Chapter 22
XXI
On a bitterly cold night, Bunting returns home from a job where he received a generous tip of a sovereign. He spots the lodger, Mr. Sleuth, walking ahead and attempts to catch up. When Bunting finally touches the lodger's coat, he finds it wet and gluey. Mr. Sleuth claims he brushed against a dead animal on Primrose Hill. Bunting lies about noticing anything, but later discovers his hand is streaked with blood. He washes it secretly, disturbing his wife. The next morning, Bunting anxiously checks the newspaper for news of a murder, but finds none.
Chapter 23
XXII
Mrs. Bunting learns from Joe Chandler that the police are investigating a new Avenger murder, with a clue involving a gentleman who paid for milk with a sovereign at 'The Hammer and Tongs' pub. She becomes increasingly anxious about Mr. Sleuth's involvement. Later, Mr. Sleuth observes Daisy from the window and quotes Wordsworth. Bunting returns with Daisy, and Mrs. Bunting shares the news of the murder with him. Mr. Sleuth requests the newspaper containing the rubber sole footprint clue. Bunting reflects on his earlier suspicions about the lodger, and a telegram from Chandler reveals he cannot fetch Daisy as planned.
Chapter 24
XXIII
Mrs. Bunting tends to the lodger, who is unwell and refuses supper. Daisy and Joe Chandler joke about the lodger's Bible-reading, but Mrs. Bunting rebukes them. Later, Joe returns in disguise after investigating a lead, revealing the Avenger's latest murder on Primrose Hill. Bunting, now deeply troubled, buys a newspaper and sees the rubber sole clue, which heightens his suspicion and fear.
Chapter 25
Chapter XXIV
Bunting is tormented by fear and indecision about the lodger's guilt, torn between his suspicion and his dread of involving the police, which he believes would ruin his and Ellen's future. Joe Chandler visits and, to Bunting's immense relief, asks for Daisy's hand in marriage rather than accusing him of harboring the Avenger. Bunting grants his blessing and promises to arrange a private walk for the couple.
Chapter 26
XXV
On Daisy's eighteenth birthday, she receives a silver watch from her father. Bunting, increasingly paranoid and fearful, slips out to buy tobacco and encounters his wife Ellen outside a greengrocer's, realizing they both left Daisy alone with the lodger. They rush home in panic, only to find Daisy safe and cheerful. Daisy recounts meeting Mr. Sleuth, who invited her and Ellen to Madame Tussaud's. Despite Bunting's objections, the lodger himself appears and insists they go, and Mrs. Bunting reluctantly agrees.
Chapter 27
XXVI
At Madame Tussaud's, Mrs. Bunting, Daisy, and Mr. Sleuth visit the Chamber of Horrors. Mr. Sleuth overhears Sir John Burney, the Police Commissioner, reveal that the Avenger is a known escaped lunatic from an asylum, causing Mr. Sleuth to panic. He confronts Mrs. Bunting, accusing her of betrayal, then feigns illness and bribes the turnstile-keeper, Mr. Hopkins, to let him escape through an emergency exit.
Chapter 28
XXVII
After the lodger's sudden disappearance at Madame Tussaud's, the Buntings grapple with the truth about Mr. Sleuth's madness. Mrs. Bunting reveals to her husband that the lodger is a religious maniac and homicidal lunatic, but they decide not to report him. Daisy announces her engagement to Joe Chandler. Mr. Sleuth never returns; the Avenger murders cease. Months later, a gardener finds a knife and rubber-soled shoes in Regent's Park, and a box of sovereigns is anonymously sent to the Foundling Hospital. The Buntings eventually enter service with an old lady.
