# The Mystery of a Hansom Cab — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume.

- [The Mystery of a Hansom Cab](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/the-mystery-of-a-hansom-cab.md): The opening chapter sets the scene in Melbourne, introducing the discovery of a murder in a hansom cab. The victim is identified as Oliver Whyte, and the investigation begins with Detective Gorby taking on the case.
- [What the Argus Said](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/i-what-the-argus-said.md): The chapter presents a newspaper report from the Argus detailing the discovery of a murder in a hansom cab in Melbourne. The cabman Malcolm Royston describes picking up a drunken man and a mysterious gentleman in a light
- [II: The Evidence at the Inquest](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/ii-the-evidence-at-the-inquest.md): At the inquest on the body found in the hansom cab, evidence is presented from cabman Malcolm Royston, Dr. Robert Chinston, and cabman Clement Rankin. Royston describes the mysterious man in a light coat who initially de
- [One Hundred Pounds Reward](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/iii-one-hundred-pounds-reward.md): The chapter presents the official government notice offering a £100 reward for information leading to the conviction of the murderer of an unknown man found dead in a hansom cab. The notice describes the deceased's appea
- [Mr. Gorby Makes a Start](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/iv-mr-gorby-makes-a-start.md): Detective Gorby, alone with his mirror, contemplates the hansom cab murder case. He methodically examines the victim's clothes, discovers a secret inner pocket torn open, and deduces the murderer stole a flat, valuable p
- [Mrs. Hableton Unbosoms Herself](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/v-mrs-hableton-unbosoms-herself.md): Mrs. Hableton, a poor widow with a grievance against men, is visited by Detective Gorby, who inquires about her missing lodger, Oliver Whyte. After learning Whyte has been murdered, she reluctantly reveals that Whyte had
- [VI: Mr. Gorby Makes Further Discoveries](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/vi-mr-gorby-makes-further-discoveries.md): Detective Gorby returns to Possum Villa to investigate Oliver Whyte's room and interview Roger Moreland, Whyte's close friend. Moreland reveals that Whyte was in love with Madge Frettlby, who is engaged to Brian Fitzgera
- [VII: The Wool King](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/vii-the-wool-king.md): This chapter introduces Mark Frettlby, a wealthy and lucky Australian businessman, and his family. It details the romance between his daughter Madge and Brian Fitzgerald, an Irish immigrant who has prospered under Frettl
- [Brian Takes a Walk and a Drive](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/viii-brian-takes-a-walk-and-a-drive.md): Brian Fitzgerald, troubled by the murder of Oliver Whyte, takes a cab and later a walk through Melbourne, unaware that Detective Gorby is following him. Gorby observes Brian's movements, including his visit to the Frettl
- [Mr. Gorby Is Satisfied at Last](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/ix-mr-gorby-is-satisfied-at-last.md): Brian Fitzgerald, tormented by guilt and fear over Oliver Whyte's murder, suffers a sleepless night and a disturbing dream. After a restless morning, he reads in the Argus that the police have found a clue. He resolves t
- [X: In the Queen's Name](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/x-in-the-queen-s-name.md): On a hot Saturday, Madge Frettlby and Brian Fitzgerald enjoy a morning shopping and plan afternoon tea. During their drive, Madge innocently mentions the murder of Oliver Whyte, unsettling Brian. They pick up Mr. Frettlb
- [XI: Counsel for the Prisoner](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xi-counsel-for-the-prisoner.md): Brian Fitzgerald is arrested for the hansom cab murder, causing a sensation in Melbourne. Madge Frettlby insists on believing his innocence despite her father's doubts. Calton agrees to defend Brian, but Brian refuses to
- [She Was a True Woman](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xii-she-was-a-true-woman.md): Madge Frettlby, defying her father's wishes, visits Brian Fitzgerald in prison with Calton's help, determined to save his life despite his stubborn refusal to prove an alibi. The chapter also depicts Melbourne society's 
- [Madge Makes a Discovery](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xiii-madge-makes-a-discovery.md): Madge and Calton search Brian's lodgings for a letter that might prove his innocence. They find a half-burnt letter that suggests an appointment, and Calton deduces it came from a back slum, not Toorak, giving them a new
- [XIV: Another Richmond in the Field](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xiv-another-richmond-in-the-field.md): Calton and Kilsip discuss the murder case, with Kilsip eager to prove Gorby wrong. Calton reveals that Fitzgerald refuses to provide an alibi because he was visiting a dying woman who had sent for him. They deduce that t
- [A Woman of the People](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xv-a-woman-of-the-people.md): Mr. Calton and Detective Kilsip venture into the slums of Melbourne, contrasting the lively, musical crowds of Bourke Street with the squalid, dangerous alleys of Little Bourke Street. They visit Mother Guttersnipe's den
- [Missing](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xvi-missing.md): Calton and Kilsip struggle to locate Sal Rawlins, the only witness who can prove Brian Fitzgerald's innocence. Kilsip discovers that Sal briefly joined the Salvation Army before disappearing into Sydney's slums. Meanwhil
- [XVII: The Trial](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xvii-the-trial.md): The trial of Brian Fitzgerald begins. Despite extensive searches and rewards, Sal Rawlins remains missing. Madge Frettlby insists on attending the trial, veiled, against her father's wishes. The prosecution presents evid
- [Sal Rawlins Tells All She Knows](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xviii-sal-rawlins-tells-all-she-knows.md): Sal Rawlins appears at the eleventh hour to provide testimony that saves Brian Fitzgerald from a felon's death. Calton and Madge receive the news with relief, and Calton visits Sal at Mother Guttersnipe's home to hear he
- [The Verdict of the Jury](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xix-the-verdict-of-the-jury.md): In a crowded courtroom, Sal Rawlins appears to testify, leading to Brian Fitzgerald's acquittal for murder. The jury returns a verdict of 'Not guilty,' and Brian is freed, embraced by Madge Frettlby.
- [The Argus Gives Its Opinion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xx-the-argus-gives-its-opinion.md): The Argus newspaper publishes an editorial reflecting on the trial and acquittal of Brian Fitzgerald for the murder of Oliver Whyte. It praises the efforts of Mr. Calton and the timely testimony of Sal Rawlins, while exp
- [Three Months Afterwards](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxi-three-months-afterwards.md): Three months after the trial, Madge Frettlby is recovering at Yabba Yallook station but remains troubled. Brian Fitzgerald has become moody and irritable, haunted by a secret revealed by a dying woman. A house party incl
- [XXII: A Daughter of Eve](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxii-a-daughter-of-eve.md): Madge presses Brian to reveal the secret Rosanna Moore told him, but he refuses, fearing it would ruin her life. After a tense struggle between curiosity and love, Madge agrees to trust him. Brian proposes they marry at 
- [Across the Walnuts and the Wine](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxiii-across-the-walnuts-and-the-wine.md): At a dinner party hosted by Mark Frettlby, Brian Fitzgerald, Madge, and other guests engage in light conversation about politics, music, and past entertainments. The discussion turns to a former dancer named Rosanna, cau
- [XXIV: Brian Receives a Letter](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxiv-brian-receives-a-letter.md): Brian Fitzgerald, after declining an invitation to stay at Yabba Yallook, rides home through the moonlight, feeling hopeful about his future with Madge. Upon arriving, he reads a long letter from Duncan Calton, who revea
- [What Dr. Chinston Said](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxv-what-dr-chinston-said.md): Brian Fitzgerald visits Madge Frettlby at her country home to inform her of his impending departure, though he conceals his true reasons. During a lawn-tennis party, he interacts with Madge and her guests, including the 
- [XXVI: Kilsip Has a Theory of His Own](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxvi-kilsip-has-a-theory-of-his-own.md): Mr. Calton reads a letter from Brian Fitzgerald, who promises to reveal a secret about Rosanna Moore that may lead to the murderer of Oliver Whyte. Detective Kilsip visits and shares his theory that Roger Moreland is the
- [Mother Guttersnipe Joins the Majority](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxvii-mother-guttersnipe-joins-the-majority.md): Calton and Kilsip visit the dying Mother Guttersnipe in the slums. She reveals that she is Rosanna Moore's mother and that Mark Frettlby was Rosanna's lover, fathering a child named Sal (Sal Rawlins). Mother Guttersnipe 
- [Mark Frettlby Has a Visitor](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxviii-mark-frettlby-has-a-visitor.md): Brian Fitzgerald, still haunted by his recent trial for murder, isolates himself in his lodgings, avoiding friends and society. He receives a telegram from Madge Frettlby inviting him to dinner, and reluctantly agrees to
- [XXIX: Mr. Calton’s Curiosity Is Satisfied](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxix-mr-calton-s-curiosity-is-satisfied.md): Brian Fitzgerald, tormented by the revelation that Mark Frettlby is the murderer of Oliver Whyte, confides in Duncan Calton. He discloses that Rosanna Moore was Frettlby's lawful wife, making Madge illegitimate and Sal R
- [Nemesis](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxx-nemesis.md): Mark Frettlby writes a confession of his past, including his marriage to Rosanna Moore, and hides it in his desk. That night, while sleepwalking, he brings the papers to the drawing-room where Madge and Sal Rawlins are s
- [XXXI: Hush-Money](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxxi-hush-money.md): Brian Fitzgerald and Duncan Calton rush to St. Kilda after learning of Mark Frettlby's death. They find the household orderly thanks to Sal Rawlins, who has taken charge. Dr. Chinston reveals Madge Frettlby is dangerousl
- [XXXII: De Mortuis Nil Nisi Bonum](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxxii-de-mortuis-nil-nisi-bonum.md): Madge Frettlby lies delirious, attended by Sal Rawlins, and in her fever reveals that her father, Mark Frettlby, is implicated in Oliver Whyte's murder. Meanwhile, Calton assembles Dr. Chinston, Brian Fitzgerald, and Det
- [XXXIII: The Confession](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxxiii-the-confession.md): Mark Frettlby writes a confession detailing his past, including his secret marriage to Rosanna Moore, her presumed death, and the subsequent blackmail by Oliver Whyte and Roger Moreland. He reveals the circumstances lead
- [The Hands of Justice](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxxiv-the-hands-of-justice.md): Calton, Kilsip, Brian Fitzgerald, and Dr. Chinston set a trap to arrest Roger Moreland for the murder of Oliver Whyte. Moreland walks into the trap, is confronted with Whyte's coat and Mark Frettlby's confession, and aft
- [The Love That Lives](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/xxxv-the-love-that-lives.md): Madge recovers from her illness and learns of her father's early marriage, but is kept ignorant of Sal Rawlins being her half-sister. She marries Brian Fitzgerald, and they leave Australia to start a new life. Meanwhile,
- [List of Illustrations](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/list-of-illustrations.md): A facsimile of a partially-burned and torn letter dated July 25th, addressed to Fitzgerald, referencing the request of a dying woman.

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