The Old Man in the Corner · Chapter
X: The Mysterious Death on the Underground Railway explained
A young woman is found dead in a first-class compartment of the Metropolitan Railway at Aldgate station.
What happens
A young woman is found dead in a first-class compartment of the Metropolitan Railway at Aldgate station. The guard discovers her body, and the subsequent inquest reveals she died from prussic acid poisoning. Her husband, Mr. Hazeldene, appears grief-stricken but evasive when questioned about her mental state and possible motives for suicide. The presence of a small empty bottle that once contained prussic acid suggests suicide, but the medical officers cannot confirm how the drug was administered, deepening the mystery. The Old Man in the Corner recounts the case, emphasizing the difficulty of identifying the average man and hinting that a clever criminal remains unpunished.
Themes in this chapter
Appearance vs. Reality
The chapter contrasts the initial appearance of suicide (the empty bottle, the placid face) with the reality of murder or unexplained death, as the medical evidence contradicts the simple suicide theory.
The Power of Observation
The Old Man in the Corner emphasizes the difficulty of identifying an average man, highlighting the limitations of observation and the challenge of recognizing a criminal among ordinary-looking individuals.
Deception and Forgery
Mr. Hazeldene's evasive testimony and the suggestion that he is lying about his wife's life and relationships point to deception, a key element in the unfolding mystery.
Characters to notice
- Polly Burton
The listener to the Old Man in the Corner's narrative; she is addressed directly as 'Polly' and is the audience for the recounting of the case.
- The Old Man in the Corner
The narrator who recounts the mysterious death on the Underground Railway, providing his own observations and commentary on the case and the police's failure to solve it.
- Edward Hazeldene
The husband of the deceased; he identifies his wife's body at the mortuary and testifies at the inquest, appearing distressed and evasive about her mental state and possible motives.
- Mrs. Hazeldene
The deceased woman found dead in the railway carriage; her death is attributed to prussic acid poisoning, and her expression suggests sudden terror.
Key passages
“the look in the poor woman’s eyes spoke of sudden terror, of the rapid vision of an unexpected and violent death, which probably only lasted an infinitesimal fraction of a second, but which had left its indelible mark upon the face”
The deceased's expression reflected an instantaneous and horrifying realization of imminent death, leaving a permanent trace on her otherwise calm features.
Describes the physical evidence of terror on the victim's face, suggesting a sudden, violent end.
“Try to describe him , to recognize him, say a week hence, among his other eighty-nine doubles; worse still, to swear his life away, if he happened to be implicated in some crime, wherein your recognition of him would place the halter round his neck.”
Attempting to identify an ordinary-looking man among many similar individuals is nearly impossible, especially when the stakes involve a life-or-death testimony.
Highlights the theme of the difficulty of observation and identification, a key point in the Old Man's analysis.
“It was the presence of that small bottle which had caused the report to circulate freely that the mysterious case on the Underground Railway was one of suicide.”
The discovery of the small bottle led to widespread speculation that the woman had taken her own life.
Explains how initial assumptions of suicide were based on the bottle found in the victim's satchel.