The Mystery of 31, New Inn · Chapter
The Hunter Hunted explained
Dr.
What happens
Dr. Jervis reflects on the morning's exploration and Thorndyke's satisfaction with the evidence, though he himself is puzzled by the significance of the spectacles, reed sticks, and bottle. He travels to Kensington to visit Mrs. Hornby and Juliet Gibson, but finds them absent. Deciding to attend a matinee at a theatre in Sloane Square, he later stops at a teashop, where a woman drops her basket and he helps retrieve its contents. He notices a lump of sugar in his tea, and through a mirror sees the woman watching him intently with a squint, realizing she had no squint when she spoke to him. Suspicious, he rises to confront her, but she flees in a hansom cab.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Concealment
The woman in the teashop conceals her identity with a veil and feigns a squint, while Jervis suspects she may have drugged his tea with the sugar.
The Limits of Perception and Evidence
Jervis struggles to interpret the meaning of the spectacles, reed sticks, and bottle, highlighting the gap between observation and understanding.
Characters to notice
- Dr. Jervis
Narrator and protagonist; reflects on the evidence from the house of mystery, visits Kensington, attends a matinee, and encounters a suspicious woman in a teashop.
- John Thorndyke
Referenced as being well pleased with the results of the search; Jervis recalls his words of warning.
- Juliet Gibson
Mentioned as having accompanied Mrs. Hornby to the country, causing Jervis's disappointment.
- Mrs. Hornby
Mentioned as having gone into the country with her niece, Juliet Gibson.
- Mr. Graves
Referenced in connection with the spectacles found during the exploration.
- H. Weiss
Mentioned as a possible member of the household connected to the bottle and reed sticks.
Key passages
“The omnibus of those days was a leisurely vehicle. Its ordinary pace was a rather sluggish trot, and in a thickly populated thoroughfare its speed was further reduced by frequent stoppages.”
Horse-drawn omnibuses moved slowly, especially in busy streets where they stopped often.
Describes the slow pace of London transport in the late 19th century.
“I arrived, all agog, at the familiar house in Endsley Gardens only to be told by a sympathetic housemaid that the family was out; that Mrs. Hornby had gone into the country and would not be home until night, and—which mattered a good deal more to me—that her niece, Miss Juliet Gibson, had accompanied her.”
Jervis went to Mrs. Hornby's house hoping to see Juliet, but both were away in the country.
Jervis's disappointment at missing Juliet Gibson.
“I put down my cup with a thrill of amazement and a sudden surging up of suspicion and alarm. An instant’s reflection reminded me that when she had spoken to me a few moments before, both her eyes had looked into mine without the slightest trace of a squint.”
Jervis realized the woman had no squint when she spoke to him, but now appeared to have one, raising his suspicion.
Jervis's realization that the woman's squint was feigned, suggesting deception.