The Trail of the Serpent · Chapter
IV: What They Find in the Room in Which the Murder Was Committed explained
Mr.
What happens
Mr. Joseph Peters and Mr. Augustus Darley travel to Slopperton-on-the-Sloshy to investigate the room where Montague Harding was murdered. They stay at the dilapidated 'Bargeman's Delight' and visit the house of Martha Jones, the housekeeper. Sararanne leads them to the sealed room, where Peters examines the flooring and discovers cracks through which blood could have dripped onto Richard Marwood's sleeve, suggesting evidence was overlooked. He also searches an old cabinet for Indian coins, but finds nothing incriminating.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Injustice
Peters investigates the murder scene, uncovering potential evidence that Richard Marwood may have been wrongly convicted due to overlooked details like blood dripping through the floor.
Social Class and Inequality
The contrast between the dilapidated 'Bargeman's Delight' and the middle-class home of Martha Jones highlights class divisions, while Peters' low status prevented him from testifying at the trial.
Characters to notice
- Joseph Peters
Investigates the murder room in Slopperton, examining the flooring and cabinet for evidence to exonerate Richard Marwood.
- Augustus Darley
Accompanies Peters to Slopperton, assists in gaining access to the murder room, and observes the investigation.
- Mrs. Martha Jones
Housekeeper of the house where the murder occurred; she confirms the room has been untouched since the crime.
- Richard Marwood
Referenced as the accused; Peters believes blood on his sleeve came from drips through the floor cracks.
- Jabez North
Mentioned as the likely culprit who might have left evidence; Peters searches for Indian coins he may have dropped.
Key passages
“Mr. Peters, being no longer a householder in the town, takes up his abode at a hostelry, and, strange to say, selects the little riverside public-house in which he overheard that conversation between the usher and the country girl, the particulars of which are already known to the reader.”
Peters, now a visitor, stays at the same riverside pub where he once eavesdropped on the usher and the country girl.
Connects back to earlier events and shows Peters' strategic choice of lodging.
“I think it dropped through, said Mr. Peters, on his fingers, with biting irony; I know it dropped through. His counsel was a nice un, not to bring this into court, he added, pointing to the boards on which he knelt.”
Peters asserts that blood dripped through the floor cracks onto Richard's sleeve, criticizing the defense lawyer for failing to use this evidence.
Key moment where Peters identifies a flaw in the original trial.