The Old Man in the Corner · Chapter
XII: The Liverpool Mystery explained
The Old Man in the Corner recounts the Liverpool Mystery to Polly Burton, detailing how a young German clerk named Mr.
What happens
The Old Man in the Corner recounts the Liverpool Mystery to Polly Burton, detailing how a young German clerk named Mr. Schwarz was duped by a man posing as Prince Semionicz. Schwarz, sent by his uncle Mr. Winslow to deliver valuable jewels to the supposed prince, accepted forged banknotes in payment. A man claiming to be a Russian secret police officer, M. Burgreneff, then intervened, took the notes, and disappeared with the jewels, leaving Schwarz to vanish as well.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Forgery
The entire plot hinges on forged banknotes and the false identity of Prince Semionicz.
Appearance vs. Reality
The supposed prince's title and wealth are a facade; the Russian police officer is also a fraud.
Greed and Motive
The jewellers' desire for business and Schwarz's eagerness to please lead to their exploitation.
Characters to notice
- The Old Man in the Corner
Narrates the Liverpool Mystery to Polly, explaining the use of foreign titles in swindles.
- Polly Burton
Listener to the Old Man's story; engages in discussion about foreign swindlers.
- Mr. Schwarz
Young German clerk sent to deliver jewels; duped by forged banknotes and later disappears.
- Mr. Winslow
Senior partner of Winslow and Vassall; uncle of Mr. Schwarz; reports his nephew's disappearance to police.
- Prince Semionicz
Alleged Russian prince who purchases jewels with forged banknotes; later revealed to be a swindler.
- Mr. Vassall
Partner of Winslow and Vassall; initially reluctant to send Schwarz alone with the jewels.
Key passages
“A title—a foreign title, I mean—is always very useful for purposes of swindles and frauds.”
Foreign titles are commonly exploited by swindlers to gain trust.
The Old Man opens the chapter with this observation, setting the theme of deception.
“The cleverest robberies of modern times were perpetrated lately in Vienna by a man who dubbed himself Lord Seymour; whilst over here the same class of thief calls himself Count Something ending in o , or Prince the other, ending in ‘off.’”
Recent major robberies in Vienna and England were committed by impostors using false aristocratic titles.
Provides historical context for the use of fake titles in crime.
“I don't think I often err in my estimate of my own countrymen... I doubt if I am doing M. —er—what does he call himself?—Prince something—an injustice if I assert, even without handling those crisp bits of paper you have in your pocketbook, that no bank would exchange them for gold.”
The supposed Russian police officer confidently declares the banknotes are forged without even examining them.
Key moment where the fraud is revealed to Schwarz.