X: At the Vicarage explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Innocence vs. Experience

  The Angel's innocent curiosity about the sunshade and lack of understanding of social shock contrasts sharply with the horror and scandal of the tennis players.

• Social Hypocrisy and Conformity

  The tennis players' immediate flight and judgment reflect the rigid social expectations and hypocrisy of the village, while the Vicar worries about explaining the Angel's unconventional appearance.

Characters to notice

• The Angel

  Arrives at the vicarage with the Vicar, wearing a saffron garment that barely reaches the knees; displays innocent curiosity about a sunshade and experiences pain from a briar prick.

• The Vicar

  Brings the Angel to the vicarage, is horrorstruck by the reaction of the tennis players, and contemplates the difficulty of explaining the Angel's appearance.

• Mrs. Mendham

  Identified as the Curate's wife; leads the group of tennis players in a horrified retreat upon seeing the Angel.

• Mrs. Jehoram

  One of the tennis players; leaves her sunshade behind, which the Angel examines with fascination.

• Mr. Hilyer

  Mentioned as 'Mr. Hilyer' in the Curate's wife's exclamation of shock.

Key passages

• “The Angel’s face being towards her she saw nothing of the wings. Only a face of unearthly beauty in a halo of chestnut hair, and a graceful figure clothed in a saffron garment that barely reached the knees.”

  The Curate's wife saw only the Angel's radiant face and short saffron robe, missing the wings entirely.

  Highlights the initial shock caused by the Angel's appearance.

• “The Angel was evidently well bred. He was holding up Mrs. Jehoram’s sunshade—she had left it on one of the cane chairs—and examining it with extraordinary interest.”

  The Angel, showing good manners, picked up the forgotten sunshade and studied it with great curiosity.

  Demonstrates the Angel's innocent and detached fascination with human objects.