# Mrs. Hurtle explained — The Way We Live Now > Chapter companion for The Way We Live Now by Anthony Trollope. ## What happens Paul Montague visits Mrs. Hurtle in Islington, confronting the painful remnants of their past engagement. She presses him to reaffirm his promises, but he is determined to break them, having fallen in love with Hetta Carbury. Their conversation reveals her admiration for the unscrupulous financier Melmotte, while Paul expresses his moral reservations about the railway scheme and his entanglement with it. ## Themes in this chapter ### Deception and Hypocrisy Paul's internal conflict between his past promises to Mrs. Hurtle and his current intentions to marry Hetta, highlighting self-deception and moral compromise. ### Speculation and Ruin The railway scheme's uncertain prosperity and Paul's unease about Melmotte's honesty reflect the precarious nature of financial speculation. ### Gender and Power Mrs. Hurtle's assertive pursuit of Paul and her admiration for Melmotte's power challenge traditional gender roles, yet she remains vulnerable to Paul's rejection. ## Character check-ins ### Paul Montague Visits Mrs. Hurtle in Islington to break off their engagement; troubled by his love for Hetta, his gambling, and his involvement in the railway scheme. ### Mrs. Hurtle A beautiful, dark widow with a mysterious past; passionately confronts Paul about his broken promises and expresses admiration for Melmotte's power. ### Augustus Melmotte Discussed by Mrs. Hurtle as a figure of commercial grandeur; Paul privately considers him a scoundrel. ### Hamilton K. Fisker Mentioned as having warned Paul about Mrs. Hurtle's dangerous reputation in San Francisco. ### Roger Carbury Referenced as Paul's friend who advised him against marrying Mrs. Hurtle. ### Hetta Carbury Paul's current love interest; he resolves to marry no one else. ## Key lines > Mrs. Hurtle was a widow whom he had once promised to marry. Paul had previously pledged to marry Mrs. Hurtle, a widow. _Establishes the central conflict of the chapter._ > She was very dark—a dark brunette—with large round blue eyes, that could indeed be soft, but could also be very severe. She had dark hair, blue eyes, and a changeable expression that could be gentle or stern. _Describes Mrs. Hurtle's striking and unconventional beauty._ > The fact, however, best known of her was, that she had shot a man through the head somewhere in Oregon. Her most notorious deed was shooting a man in Oregon, an act the local community deemed justified. _Highlights her dangerous reputation and the mystery surrounding her past._ > Such a man rises above honesty, said Mrs. Hurtle, as a great general rises above humanity when he sacrifices an army to conquer a nation. Mrs. Hurtle argues that a man like Melmotte transcends ordinary morality, much like a general who sacrifices soldiers for victory. _Reveals her amoral admiration for Melmotte's power and ambition._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_we_live_now_se/chapters/xxvi-mrs-hurtle - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_we_live_now_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_way_we_live_now_se/chapters