The Venetians · Chapter
VIII: A Face in the Crowd explained
Vansittart, now at Merewood, spends five weeks hunting and avoiding the company his mother thrusts upon him, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Eve Marchant and the recent events in Venice.
What happens
Vansittart, now at Merewood, spends five weeks hunting and avoiding the company his mother thrusts upon him, his mind preoccupied with thoughts of Eve Marchant and the recent events in Venice. He resists the urge to visit Redwold Towers, where Eve is a guest, and instead goes to London in March. At a dinner party, he accepts an invitation to the opera, where he is haunted by the fear of encountering Fiordelisa, the woman whose lover he killed. His fears are realized when he spots her in the chorus, and he receives a mysterious, unaddressed letter at the theatre, prompting him to resolve to face her rather than flee again.
Themes in this chapter
Guilt and Redemption
Vansittart is consumed by guilt over the death of Fiordelisa's lover and is determined to make atonement, resolving not to run away this time.
Secrecy and Identity
Vansittart's past actions in Venice threaten to expose his true nature. He receives an unaddressed letter, and his identity is known to Fiordelisa, creating a sense of impending exposure.
Characters to notice
- Jack Vansittart
Spends five weeks at Merewood, then moves to London. He is haunted by thoughts of Fiordelisa and Eve, and resolves not to run away from the consequences of his actions in Venice.
- Maud Hartley
Writes to Jack, warning him that Eve Marchant is 'impossible' as a wife but charming as a human being, and that she has invited her to Redwold Towers.
- Eve Marchant
Is a guest at Redwold Towers, invited by Lady Hartley. Maud describes her as charming but unsuitable for Jack.
- Fiordelisa
Vansittart sees her performing in the chorus at the opera and is consumed with fear and guilt over his role in her lover's death.
- Mrs. Pembroke
Hosts a dinner party where Vansittart is invited to the opera. She accompanies him to the performance and is present when he receives the mysterious letter.
Key passages
“He was not going to run away this time, as he had done at Venice.”
Vansittart decides to face the consequences of his actions rather than flee, as he did in Venice.
This marks a turning point in Vansittart's character, showing his resolve to confront his past.
“She rejoiced with an exceeding joy at having brought her son safe and sound out of the cave of the syren”
Mrs. Vansittart is overjoyed that her son has escaped the dangerous influence of a woman she considers a temptress.
This highlights Mrs. Vansittart's relief and her disapproval of Eve Marchant.
“He had gone beyond the season of easily kindled fires. He had passed the age at which a man falls in love once in six weeks.”
Vansittart is no longer young and impressionable, and is not easily swayed by romantic feelings.
This suggests that his feelings for Eve are more serious and considered than youthful infatuation.