# VII: The Wool King explained — The Mystery of a Hansom Cab > Chapter companion for The Mystery of a Hansom Cab by Fergus Hume. ## What happens 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 Frettlby's guidance. The chapter also reveals that Oliver Whyte, a rival for Madge's affections, was the man murdered in the hansom cab. At a dinner party for Madge's birthday, Felix Rolleston announces the victim's identity, and the guests discuss the murder and the mystery surrounding it, with lawyer Calton offering theories about the killer's escape. ## Themes in this chapter ### Social Class and Morality The chapter contrasts the wealthy, respectable world of Mark Frettlby with the moral ambiguities of the murder, and highlights the social climbing of characters like Whyte and the disdain of others like Felix Rolleston. ### Secrecy and Deception The murder mystery dominates the dinner conversation, with characters speculating about the killer's identity and methods, while Brian Fitzgerald's guilty demeanor hints at hidden knowledge. ### The Past and Its Consequences Mark Frettlby's past success and luck are contrasted with the looming consequences of Whyte's murder, and Brian Fitzgerald's Irish heritage and ruined castle symbolize a past that shapes his present actions. ## Character check-ins ### Mark Frettlby The wealthy and lucky 'Wool King' who hosts a dinner party for his daughter's birthday; he is surprised to learn that Oliver Whyte was the murder victim. ### Madge Frettlby Frettlby's charming daughter, now engaged to Brian Fitzgerald; she is present at the birthday dinner and exchanges banter with Felix Rolleston. ### Brian Fitzgerald Madge's fiancé, an Irish immigrant who has become wealthy under Frettlby's guidance; he is visibly disturbed by the news of Whyte's murder and remains moody during the dinner. ### Felix Rolleston A well-known young man about Melbourne who brings the news that the murdered man has been identified as Oliver Whyte; he is talkative and enjoys being the center of attention. ### Duncan Calton A leading lawyer and guest at the dinner; he offers a detailed theory about how the murderer escaped detection, suggesting the killer doubled back through Fitzroy Gardens. ### Oliver Whyte The murder victim, identified during the dinner; he had been a rival for Madge's hand and had a letter of introduction to Frettlby, but was disliked by many. ## Key lines > The old Greek legend of Midas turning everything he touched into gold, is truer than most people imagine. The ancient story of King Midas, who turned everything to gold, is more realistic than commonly believed. _Opening lines comparing Mark Frettlby's luck to the Midas myth._ > He had come out in the early days of the colony with comparatively little money, but his great perseverance and never-failing luck had soon changed his hundreds into thousands, and now at the age of fifty-five he did not himself know the extent of his income. Mark Frettlby arrived in the colony with modest funds, but through hard work and constant good fortune, he multiplied his wealth so greatly that by age fifty-five he was unsure of his own total income. _Describes Frettlby's rise to immense wealth._ > He had passed out of the life of both the lovers, and they, glad that he troubled them no more, never suspected for a moment that the body of the unknown man found in Royston’s cab was that of Oliver Whyte. Oliver Whyte had disappeared from the lives of Madge and Brian, and they were relieved, never realizing that the unidentified corpse in Royston's cab was his. _Reveals the lovers' ignorance of Whyte's fate._ > “What I can’t make out,” observed Rolleston, who was amusing himself with cracking nuts, “is why they did not find out who he was before.” Felix Rolleston, while cracking nuts, expressed confusion about why the victim's identity took so long to discover. _Rolleston's comment during the dinner discussion about the murder._ > “My opinion is that he went either right through East Melbourne to Fitzroy, or he walked back through the Fitzroy Gardens into town.” Calton theorized that the murderer escaped by walking through East Melbourne to Fitzroy or doubling back through Fitzroy Gardens into the city. _Calton's theory on the killer's escape route._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters/vii-the-wool-king - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_mystery_of_a_hansom_cab_se/chapters