The Nebuly Coat · Chapter
VII explained
Anastasia Joliffe receives Lord Blandamer at Bellevue Lodge while her aunt is at the Dorcas meeting.
What happens
Anastasia Joliffe receives Lord Blandamer at Bellevue Lodge while her aunt is at the Dorcas meeting. She shows him to Mr. Westray's room, and later informs her aunt, who is flustered and delighted by the visit. The chapter also describes Miss Euphemia Joliffe's devotion to the Dorcas Society and her character.
Themes in this chapter
Social Class and Ambition
Miss Joliffe's reverence for Lord Blandamer's title and her anxiety about appearing proper highlight the social class distinctions and the ambition to be associated with nobility.
Secrecy and Identity
Lord Blandamer's unexpected visit and the secret of his identity (the card reading 'Lord Blandamer') create an air of mystery and hidden significance.
The Past and Memory
Anastasia's memories of her father Martin Joliffe and his obsession with the nebuly coat connect the present events to the family's past.
Characters to notice
- Miss Anastasia Joliffe
Anastasia receives Lord Blandamer, shows him to Westray's room, and tries to hide her excitement. She reflects on her father Martin Joliffe's death and her own romantic imagination.
- Miss Euphemia Joliffe
Miss Joliffe returns from the Dorcas meeting and is overwhelmed to find Lord Blandamer in her house. She changes into her Sunday bonnet to greet him.
- Lord Blandamer
Lord Blandamer visits Bellevue Lodge to write a note for Mr. Westray. His presence causes excitement and anxiety in the household.
- Martin Joliffe
Martin Joliffe is remembered as Anastasia's father, who wearied of her company and obsessed over the nebuly coat and peerage. His illness and death are recalled.
- Mrs. Bulteel
Mrs. Bulteel is mentioned as the fashionable brewer's lady who reads edifying stories at the Dorcas meeting, often dissolving into tears.
Key passages
“Martin was wearied by his daughter’s society, for he preferred to be alone, and set no store by her except as a cooking, housecleaning, and clothes-mending machine; and Anastasia resented this attitude, and could find, moreover, no interest in the torn peerage which was her father’s Bible, or in the genealogical research and jargon about the nebuly coat which formed the staple of his conversation.”
Martin Joliffe tired of his daughter's company, valuing her only for domestic chores, while Anastasia resented his neglect and had no interest in his obsessive genealogical studies of the nebuly coat.
Describes the strained relationship between Anastasia and her father, and his fixation on the family lineage.
“She tried to believe that his death brought her sorrow and not relief, and succeeded so well that her aunt had no doubts at all upon the subject.”
Anastasia convinced herself that she grieved her father's death rather than feeling relieved, and her aunt believed her completely.
Anastasia's internal conflict over her father's death and her successful pretense of grief.
“Miss Joliffe focused the card. There were only two words printed on it, only 'Lord Blandamer' in the most unpretending and simple characters, but their effect was magical. Doubt and suspicion melted suddenly away, and a look of radiant surprise overspread her countenance, such as would have become a Constantine at the vision of the Labarum.”
When Miss Joliffe read the card with 'Lord Blandamer,' her doubts vanished and she was filled with radiant surprise, as if witnessing a divine vision.
The dramatic effect of Lord Blandamer's name on Miss Joliffe, highlighting her reverence for nobility.