The Maltese Falcon · Chapter
X: The Belvedere Divan explained
Spade searches Brigid's apartment while she sleeps, finding nothing related to the falcon.
What happens
Spade searches Brigid's apartment while she sleeps, finding nothing related to the falcon. He returns with breakfast, and they share a meal. Brigid refuses to discuss the bird. Later, Spade confronts the young shadow in the Belvedere lobby, enlists hotel detective Luke's help to expel him, and meets a weary Joel Cairo, who was released after police questioning. Spade defends his actions from the previous night and they discuss strategy.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Duplicity
Spade secretly searches Brigid's apartment while she sleeps, and later lies to Cairo about his motives.
Urban Alienation
The impersonal hotel lobby, shadowing, and police interrogation highlight the isolation and danger of city life.
Characters to notice
- Sam Spade
Searches Brigid's apartment, returns with breakfast, confronts the youth at the Belvedere, and meets Cairo.
- Brigid O'Shaughnessy
Sleeps while Spade searches her apartment; later refuses to discuss the falcon.
- Joel Cairo
Returns to the Belvedere after police questioning, bandaged and weary; reluctant to continue their association.
- Wilmer Cook
The young shadow sitting in the Belvedere lobby, confronts Spade and is expelled by Luke.
- Luke
Hotel detective who helps Spade expel the youth from the lobby.
Key passages
“You can’t ask me to talk about that this morning of all mornings. I don’t want to and I won’t.”
Brigid refuses to discuss the falcon, insisting it's too soon after the night's events.
Brigid deflects Spade's questioning about the bird.
“You’ll have to talk to me before you’re through, sonny—some of you will—and you can tell G. I said so.”
Spade warns the young shadow that he will eventually have to cooperate, and to pass the message to Gutman.
Spade confronts the youth and references Gutman.
“I certainly wished you had devised a more reasonable story. I felt decidedly ridiculous repeating it.”
Cairo complains that the alibi Spade gave him for the police was absurd and embarrassing.
Cairo expresses frustration with Spade's cover story.