The Lone Wolf · Chapter
A Stratagem explained
Lanyard selects the room next to Roddy's at Troyon's to surveil him, but grows uneasy about De Morbihan's possible identification of him as the Lone Wolf.
What happens
Lanyard selects the room next to Roddy's at Troyon's to surveil him, but grows uneasy about De Morbihan's possible identification of him as the Lone Wolf. After dressing and feigning departure, he stealthily returns to find his room door ajar and discovers, instead of Roddy, the girl from the restaurant inside.
Themes in this chapter
Surveillance and Paranoia
Lanyard chooses his room to spy on Roddy, suspects Roddy may be feigning sleep, and returns stealthily to check his room, highlighting mutual surveillance and mistrust.
Fate and Chance
Lanyard reflects on his luck as a gambler, considering that a run of success must eventually end, and wonders if De Morbihan's identification was a warning.
Identity and Duality
Lanyard's dual role as an art amateur by day and the Lone Wolf by night is central; he also worries about De Morbihan's possible recognition of his true identity.
Characters to notice
- Michael Lanyard
Chooses the room next to Roddy's to keep watch; later stages a departure and returns stealthily, finding the girl in his room.
- Roddy
Occupies the adjoining room; Lanyard hears him preparing for bed and snoring, but suspects he may be feigning sleep.
- Comte Remy de Morbihan
Mentioned in Lanyard's thoughts; his identification of Lanyard as the Lone Wolf is a source of concern.
- Lucia Bannon
Discovered in Lanyard's room in the dark, she cries out in alarm and asks who he is.
- Bourke
Referenced in Lanyard's thoughts as a past adversary who snored when awake.
Key passages
“The mouse has every right, if he likes, to despise the cat for a heavy-handed and bloodthirsty beast, lacking wit and imagination, a creature of simple force-majeure; but that mouse will not advisedly swagger in cat-haunted territory; a blow of the paw is, when all's said and done, a blow of the paw—something to numb the wits of the wiliest mouse.”
Lanyard acknowledges that while criminals may disdain the police as brutish and unimaginative, they must still be cautious, as a single police action can incapacitate even the cleverest lawbreaker.
This metaphor reflects Lanyard's self-warning against underestimating Roddy and the police.
“Black must turn up every so often in a run of red: every gambler knows as much. And what was Michael Lanyard but a common gambler, who persistently staked life and liberty against the blindly impartial casts of Chance?”
Lanyard compares his life to a gambling streak, acknowledging that bad luck must eventually follow good, and sees himself as a gambler risking everything on chance.
This internal reflection underscores the theme of fate and chance.