# IX: Looking Backward explained — The Middle of Things > Chapter companion for The Middle of Things by J. S. Fletcher. ## What happens Mr. Pawle and Richard Viner dine at the Ellingham Arms in Marketstoke, after which the landlady, Mrs. Summers, recounts the story of the disappearance of Lord Marketstoke thirty-five years earlier. She describes the quarrel between the seventh Earl and his elder son, the son's flight, the failure to find him after the Earl's death, and the eventual succession of the younger brother, Charles Cave-Gray. Mrs. Summers then reveals her suspicion that the murdered man, John Ashton, may have been the long-lost Lord Marketstoke. ## Themes in this chapter ### Identity and Secrecy The central mystery of whether John Ashton is actually the long-lost Lord Marketstoke, and the secrecy surrounding the disappearance of the heir. ### Class and Inheritance The story of the Earl's estate, the missing heir, and the legal battle over the title and lands highlights themes of aristocracy and inheritance. ### The Past Haunting the Present The disappearance of Lord Marketstoke from thirty-five years ago resurfaces with the arrival and murder of John Ashton, linking past events to the present mystery. ## Character check-ins ### Mr. Pawle Dines with Viner and eagerly questions Mrs. Summers about the history of Marketstoke and the disappearance of Lord Marketstoke, drawing parallels to the Tichborne case. ### Richard Viner Accompanies Pawle to Marketstoke; listens to Mrs. Summers' story and expresses primary concern with solving Ashton's murder rather than the romantic mystery. ### Hannah Summers The landlady of the Ellingham Arms; provides a detailed account of the disappearance of Lord Marketstoke and suggests that John Ashton might have been the missing heir. ### Mr. Ashton The murdered man; Mrs. Summers speculates that he may have been Lord Marketstoke, based on his visit to Marketstoke and his behavior. ### Lord Ellingham The seventh Earl of Ellingham, described as overbearing and harsh; his elder son Lord Marketstoke disappeared after a quarrel. ### The Honourable Charles Cave-Gray The younger son who succeeded as the eighth Earl after his brother's presumed death; described as a pleasant and considerate landlord. ### Mr. Marcherson The steward at Ellingham Park for over forty years; provided information to Mrs. Summers about the disappearance and the search for Lord Marketstoke. ## Key lines > And that, ma'am, was⁠—⁠” “That he was somebody who disappeared from Marketstoke thirty-five years ago,” answered the landlady, “disappeared completely, and has never been heard of from that day to this!” Mrs. Summers reveals that the man in question vanished from Marketstoke thirty-five years ago and has never been seen since. _The landlady discloses the identity of the missing person, setting up the central mystery._ > I wondered,” murmured Mrs. Summers, bending closer to her listeners, “if the man who called himself John Ashton wasn't in reality the long-lost Lord Marketstoke.” Mrs. Summers whispers her suspicion that John Ashton might actually be the missing Lord Marketstoke. _The key speculation linking the murder victim to the old disappearance._ > Instead of going direct to Tichborne, where you'd naturally have thought all his affection and interests rested, where did he go? To Whitechapel! Why? Because the Ortons were Whitechapel folk! The native place called him, do you see? Mr. Pawle uses the Tichborne case to argue that a returning expatriate would first go to his hometown, suggesting Ashton's visit to Marketstoke indicates he was a native. _Pawle's legal reasoning links Ashton's travel to his possible identity._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters/ix-looking-backward - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_middle_of_things_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_middle_of_things_se/chapters