# The Man Who Came to Montreux explained — The Man Who Knew > Chapter companion for The Man Who Knew by Edgar Wallace. ## What happens Two months after the trial, Frank Merrill meets May Nuttall and Saul Arthur Mann in Montreux. May has grown more mature and wealthy, while Frank has been traveling. They discuss Jasper Cole's mysterious activities and his continued contact with May. Frank leaves for London, and later that day, Rex Holland arrives at the Palace Hotel in Montreux. ## Themes in this chapter ### Secrecy and Knowledge Saul Arthur Mann's investigation into Jasper Cole's secret laboratory and drug knowledge; Frank's hidden concerns about May's correspondence. ### Love and Manipulation May's growing reliance on Jasper Cole and her defensive reaction when Frank questions him; Frank's jealousy and concern. ### Appearance vs. Reality Frank appears calm but hides inner turmoil; Jasper presents himself as kind but is suspected of cold-blooded crimes. ## Character check-ins ### Frank Merrill Returns to Montreux after two months abroad; meets May and Saul Arthur Mann; shows concern over Jasper's influence on May. ### May Nuttall Arrives with Saul Arthur Mann; has grown more mature and wealthy; receives a letter from Jasper Cole and shows eagerness. ### Saul Arthur Mann Accompanies May; shares investigation updates with Frank about Jasper Cole's chemistry and criminal potential. ### Jasper Cole Mentioned as having a laboratory, motoring, and corresponding with May; under investigation by Mann. ### Rex Holland Arrives at the Palace Hotel in Montreux later in the chapter. ## Key lines > It was two months after the great trial, on a warm day in October, when Frank Merrill stepped ashore from the big white paddle boat which had carried him across Lake Leman from Lausanne... Two months after the trial, on a warm October day, Frank Merrill arrived in Montreux by paddle boat from Lausanne. _Sets the time and place for the chapter._ > He had grown a little graver, was a little more set in his movements, but he bore upon his face no mark to indicate the mental agony through which he must have passed in that long-drawn-out and wearisome trial. Frank seemed more serious and deliberate, but showed no visible signs of the distress he had endured during the lengthy trial. _Describes Frank's emotional state after the trial._ > She was at that age when the woman is breaking through the beautiful chrysalis of girlhood. May was at a stage where she was maturing from a girl into a woman. _Highlights May's development and maturity._ > I am perfectly satisfied that the unfortunate fellow we saw together on the occasion of our first meeting was Rex Holland's servant. I was as certain that he was poisoned by a very powerful poisoning. Saul Arthur Mann is convinced that the man they first met was Rex Holland's servant and that he was killed by a potent poison. _Reveals Mann's theory about the earlier death._ > He is going to be a difficult man to catch, because, if all I believe is true, he is one of the most cold-blooded and calculating men it has ever been my lot to meet—and I have met a few. Mann believes Jasper Cole will be hard to apprehend, as he is extremely ruthless and calculating, even among criminals. _Characterizes Jasper as a dangerous and cunning figure._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_who_knew_se/chapters/xiii-the-man-who-came-to-montreux - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_who_knew_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_man_who_knew_se/chapters