III: At the Load of Mischief explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Appearance vs. Reality

  The inn's respectable facade contrasts with the sensational death; Mrs. Davis laments ruined custom while the inn is actually busier due to the event.

• Detection and Rationality

  Bredon's methodical observation of the visitors' book and his irritation at the lack of personal clues in the inn highlight his detective approach.

• Provincial Life and Isolation

  Chilthorpe is described as a remote, straggling village with poor roads, and the inn's isolation is emphasized by the difficulty of reaching it.

Characters to notice

• Miles Bredon

  Arrives at the Load of Mischief with Angela; his spirits have risen after receiving a letter from the company about Mottram's offer. He is irritated by the generic inn atmosphere and examines the visitors' book, noting the anomaly in Mottram's signature.

• Angela Bredon

  Accompanies Miles; her tact and sympathy win over Mrs. Davis. She discovers Mottram's signature in the visitors' book, dated June 13th with a blank end date, and points it out to Miles.

• Mr. Pulteney

  The old gentleman fishing by the river; he directs the Bredons to the inn, mentions Mottram's death, the police presence, and the other guest, Mr. Brinkman. He is described as a great one for fishing and taking people up short.

• Mr. Brinkman

  Mentioned by Pulteney as the secretary staying at the Load of Mischief; Mrs. Davis later says he was in a great taking about Mottram's death.

• Mr. Mottram

  Deceased; his body is in a locked room at the inn. He had visited regularly for the fishing season, and his signature in the visitors' book is dated June 13th with a blank end date.

• Mr. Leyland

  Mentioned by Pulteney as a policeman from London who arrived at the inn around luncheon time.

Key passages

• “By next morning Bredon’s spirits had risen. He had received by the early post a confidential letter from the company describing Mr. Mottram’s curious offer, and suggesting (naturally) that the state of his health made suicide a plausible conjecture.”

  The next morning, Bredon felt better after getting a letter from his company that detailed Mottram's strange proposal and hinted that his health might have driven him to suicide.

  Establishes Bredon's initial mindset and the company's theory.

• “I am only afraid, myself, that they will want to drag the river. The police always drag the river if they can think of nothing else to do.”

  Pulteney jokes that the police will likely drag the river, as they often do when they lack other ideas.

  Shows Pulteney's skeptical view of police methods.

• “She insisted that her custom is ruined forever; actually, you are the second party to stay at the inn as the result of this affair, and the jug and bottle business at midday was something incredible.”

  Mrs. Davis claims her business is ruined, but in reality, the Bredons are the second group to book because of the incident, and the pub was unusually busy at lunchtime.

  Highlights the irony of Mrs. Davis's complaints versus the actual increase in custom.

• “I say, Angela interrupted suddenly, 'Mottram seems to have visited this place pretty regularly, and always for the fishing season. There are some fine specimens of his signature; the last only written two days ago.'”

  Angela points out that Mottram signed the visitors' book regularly over the years, with his most recent entry dated just two days ago.

  Angela's discovery of the signature leads to Bredon's observation about the unusual date.

• “Look here, that’s all wrong, you know. This isn’t a hotel register; it’s just a visitors’ book. And people who write in a visitors’ book don’t write till the day they leave.”

  Bredon explains that guests typically sign the visitors' book only on their departure day, not upon arrival, making Mottram's entry suspicious.

  Key clue: the signature date suggests Mottram may not have intended to leave, or someone else wrote it.