The Paradise Mystery · Chapter
St. Wrytha’s Stair explained
After being dismissed by Dr.
What happens
After being dismissed by Dr. Ransford, Bryce prepares to leave the surgery but is interrupted by a well-dressed, nervous stranger asking for Ransford. Bryce directs him through Paradise, a secluded enclosure near the Cathedral. Later, Bryce encounters Mary Bewery, who rebuffs him, and then witnesses Ransford emerging from the Cathedral in visible agitation. In Paradise, Bryce learns from the mason Varner that a man has been thrown from a high doorway (St. Wrytha's Stair) and is dead. Bryce examines the body, finds a cryptic scrap of paper, and hides it before the police arrive. He then rushes to fetch Ransford, hoping to observe his reaction to the dead man.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Deception
The stranger's furtive manner, Bryce's secretive search of the body and concealment of the scrap of paper, and Ransford's hidden past all underscore a theme of hidden truths and deception.
The Past Haunting the Present
The stranger's claim to have known someone of Ransford's name, and Ransford's extreme agitation upon meeting him, suggest that past events are resurfacing to disrupt the present.
Characters to notice
- Mary Bewery
Bryce meets Mary in the garden after his dismissal; she rebuffs him coldly, saying she has nothing to say to him.
- Dr. Mark Ransford
Ransford is seen emerging from the Cathedral in great agitation after presumably meeting the stranger; later, Bryce finds him in the surgery looking despairing.
- Mr. John Braden
The stranger who calls at the surgery asking for Ransford; he is later found dead at the foot of St. Wrytha's Stair, having been thrown from a high doorway.
- Inspector Mitchington
Mitchington arrives at the scene of the death, questions Varner, and orders a search of the clerestory gallery.
- Varner
The stonemason who witnesses the stranger being thrown from the doorway and reports it to Bryce.
Key passages
“A man stood outside—an elderly, slight-figured, quiet-looking man, who looked at Bryce with a half-deprecating, half-nervous air; the air of a man who was shy in manner and evidently fearful of seeming to intrude.”
An elderly, well-dressed man stood at the door, appearing shy and nervous, as if afraid to intrude.
Describes the stranger's demeanor upon arriving at the surgery.
“Bryce hurriedly unfolded this, and after one glance at its contents, made haste to secrete it in his own pocket.”
Bryce quickly opened the scrap of paper, read it, and hid it in his pocket.
Bryce finds and conceals a cryptic note from the dead man's purse.
“Ransford, the very picture of despair, stood just within, his face convulsed, beating one hand upon the other.”
Ransford stood inside the surgery, looking utterly despairing, his face twisted with emotion as he wrung his hands.
Bryce returns to find Ransford in a state of extreme distress.