The Teeth of the Tiger · Chapter
Shakespeare’s Works, Volume VIII explained
Don Luis Perenna discovers a hidden compartment in a fake volume of Shakespeare's works containing a schedule of events tied to the Mornington affair.
What happens
Don Luis Perenna discovers a hidden compartment in a fake volume of Shakespeare's works containing a schedule of events tied to the Mornington affair. He suspects Florence Levasseur of being an accomplice after finding his notebook missing, but her emotional reaction to her photograph and her tears make him doubt her guilt. Later, he and Sergeant Mazeroux keep watch overnight at the Fauville house, expecting an event on the night of April 15, but nothing occurs, leaving Perenna uneasy.
Themes in this chapter
Identity and Disguise
Florence's true identity and role are questioned; Perenna suspects she is not who she appears to be.
Intelligence and Cunning
Perenna uses his observational skills to find the hidden compartment and deduce the schedule; the adversaries' cleverness is highlighted.
Crime and Punishment
The chapter revisits the double murder of Fauville and his son, and Marie Fauville's imprisonment and suicide attempt.
Characters to notice
- Don Luis Perenna
Discovers the hidden compartment in the Shakespeare volume and suspects Florence of theft and complicity; later keeps watch at the Fauville house.
- Florence Levasseur
Emotionally reacts to her photograph being found; Perenna suspects her of being an accomplice but her tears suggest possible innocence.
- Sergeant Mazeroux
Keeps watch with Perenna at the Fauville house; reports on Marie Fauville's suicide attempt and ongoing investigation.
- Marie Fauville
Mentioned as having attempted suicide in prison and still proclaiming her innocence.
Key passages
“He took it out, taking care not to be heard. He was not mistaken. The volume was a sham, a mere set of boards surrounding a hollow space that formed a box and thus provided a regular hiding-place; and, inside this book, he caught sight of plain notepaper, envelopes of different kinds, and some sheets of ordinary ruled paper, all of the same size and looking as if they had been taken from a writing-pad.”
Perenna silently removes the book and finds it is a fake—a hollow box disguised as a volume, containing notepaper and envelopes.
Reveals Perenna's discovery of the hidden compartment and the schedule.
“She was no longer listening to him. She gazed at the photograph with all her concentrated attention and murmured: 'I was twenty years old. … I was living in Italy. Dear me, how happy I was on the day when it was taken! And how happy I was when I saw my portrait! … And then it disappeared. … It was stolen from me like other things that had already been stolen from me, at that time—'”
Florence ignores Perenna, staring at the photograph and recalling her happy youth in Italy, noting that the photo was stolen from her.
Shows Florence's emotional vulnerability and hints at a past theft.