# Introducing Mr. Rex Holland explained — The Man Who Knew > Chapter companion for The Man Who Knew by Edgar Wallace. ## What happens Frank Merrill, under the alias Rex Holland, forges checks from John Minute's checkbooks, then returns to London. He visits May Nuttall, revealing his strained financial dependence on his uncle and his urgent need to marry before his twenty-fourth birthday to gain independence. Meanwhile, the bank manager, Mr. Brandon, becomes suspicious of the large checks signed by John Minute and made payable to Rex Holland, and Frank deflects by noting John Minute's departure for Paris. ## Themes in this chapter ### Identity and Deception Frank Merrill forges checks under the alias Rex Holland, deceiving both the bank and his uncle. ### Secrecy and Knowledge Frank keeps his forgery and marriage deadline secret from May; May hides her thoughts about Jasper. ### Love and Manipulation Frank uses his love for May to pressure her into marriage for financial independence, mixing affection with ulterior motives. ## Character check-ins ### Frank Merrill Forge checks as Rex Holland, then visits May Nuttall to press for marriage before his 24th birthday. ### The Girl Referred to as May Nuttall; Frank proposes to her, and she is conflicted, thinking of Jasper Cole. ### John Minute Mentioned as the uncle whose checks are forged and who is leaving for Paris. ### Jasper Cole Mentioned as receiving a thousand a year from John Minute; Frank saw him at Waterloo Station. ### Rex Holland Alias used by Frank Merrill for the forgery; the bank manager is suspicious of the checks made payable to him. ### Mr. Brandon Bank manager who questions Frank about the large checks and Rex Holland. ## Key lines > He wrote slowly, almost laboriously, and he wrote without a copy. There are very few forgers in the criminal records who have ever accomplished the feat of imitating a man’s signature from memory. He wrote slowly and carefully, without a reference, which is rare among forgers—copying a signature from memory. _Describes Frank's skill in forging John Minute's signature._ > I earn seven pounds a week at the bank, and that is the whole of my income. My only income is seven pounds a week from my bank job. _Frank reveals his modest earnings to May._ > If I am married within the next ten days—that for his millions. I am independent of his legacies, independent of his patronage. If I marry within ten days, I won't need his millions or his support. _Frank explains the urgency of his marriage proposal._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_who_knew_se/chapters/vii-introducing-mr-rex-holland - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_who_knew_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_who_knew_se/chapters