The Murder at the Vicarage · Chapter
XXIV explained
The narrator returns to the Vicarage to find Hawes in a nervous state, asking him to preach in his place.
What happens
The narrator returns to the Vicarage to find Hawes in a nervous state, asking him to preach in his place. Hawes takes a headache powder and questions the narrator about events at Old Hall, expressing unease about Lawrence Redding's visit. Later, the narrator receives four notes from parishioners—Mrs. Price Ridley, Miss Wetherby, Miss Hartnell, and an anonymous letter accusing Griselda of an affair with Redding. Griselda intercepts the anonymous letter, reads it, and then confesses to the narrator that she had been in love with Lawrence Redding before meeting him.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Secrets
Griselda reveals she concealed her past relationship with Lawrence Redding, and the anonymous letter accuses her of ongoing deceit.
Gossip and Community
Multiple parishioners send notes claiming to have important information, and an anonymous letter spreads rumors about Griselda.
Appearance vs. Reality
Griselda's confession shows that her earlier innocent demeanor hid a deeper past, and Hawes's nervousness masks his true condition.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
Returns to the Vicarage, deals with Hawes's anxiety, receives notes from parishioners, and listens to Griselda's confession.
- Mr. Hawes
Shows extreme nervousness, asks the narrator to preach, takes a headache powder, and expresses suspicion about Lawrence Redding and Archer.
- Griselda
Intercepts an anonymous letter accusing her of an affair, then confesses to the narrator that she was once in love with Lawrence Redding.
- Lawrence Redding
Mentioned as having visited Hawes the previous night, and as the subject of Griselda's past affection.
- Mrs. Price Ridley
Sends a note claiming to have important knowledge about Colonel Protheroe's death and seeking the narrator's advice.
- Miss Wetherby
Sends a note expressing distress and asking the narrator to visit regarding something important she has heard.
Key passages
“I’d like to tell you something. Yes, don’t stop me. I want to, please. When—when Lawrence Redding came here, I let you think that I had only known him slightly before. That wasn’t true. I—had known him rather well. In fact, before I met you, I had been rather in love with him.”
Griselda admits that she deliberately misled the narrator about her prior relationship with Lawrence Redding, confessing that she had been in love with him before marrying the narrator.
Griselda's confession reveals her hidden past and her skill at concealment.
“I don’t like it. What does he want to come and see me for? I don’t like it.”
Hawes expresses suspicion and fear about Lawrence Redding's unexpected visit, feeling that Redding must have an ulterior motive.
Hawes's paranoia reflects his deteriorating mental state and his unease about the murder investigation.
“A poacher, in and out of prison, capable of anything.”
Hawes describes Archer as a criminal who is capable of murder, insisting that Archer is the likely culprit.
Hawes's focus on Archer shows his desire to find a scapegoat for the murder.