The Wyvern Mystery · Chapter
Restless explained
Mildred Tarnley, unable to sleep due to her unease about the mysterious Dutchwoman, repeatedly checks on her throughout the night.
What happens
Mildred Tarnley, unable to sleep due to her unease about the mysterious Dutchwoman, repeatedly checks on her throughout the night. She finds the woman seemingly dead-like in sleep but alive, and later discovers her sitting on the stairs, claiming she cannot rest in the state room for fear of being pried upon by Harry Fairfield's wife. After a tense exchange, Mildred locks the door, leaving the woman confined until morning.
Themes in this chapter
Secrecy and Deception
The Dutchwoman's secretive behavior and fear of being observed, along with Mildred's suspicious surveillance, highlight themes of hidden motives and mistrust.
Isolation and Entrapment
The Dutchwoman is physically isolated in the house and ultimately locked in her room, while Mildred's own restless wandering underscores a sense of confinement.
Characters to notice
- Mildred Tarnley
Restless and anxious, repeatedly checks on the Dutchwoman, eventually locks her in.
- Dulcibella Crane
The 'Dutchwoman' or 'old soldier,' found awake and sitting on the stairs, expresses fear of being spied upon by Harry Fairfield's wife.
- Charles Fairfield
Mentioned as sitting in the panelled sitting-room, locked in dismal sleep.
- Harry Fairfield
His wife is referenced as the one the Dutchwoman fears will pry on her.
Key passages
“Some lean, nervous temperaments, once fairly excited, and in presence of a substantial cause of uneasiness, are very hard to reduce to composure.”
People with anxious dispositions find it nearly impossible to calm down when they have a real reason to worry.
Opening line describing Mildred's state of mind.
“I can't go to bed till I try again; I can't. I don't know what's come over me. It seems to me, Lor' be wi' us! as if the Evil One was in the house...”
Mildred feels compelled to check on the woman again, sensing an evil presence in the house.
Mildred's superstitious fear and compulsion.
“You thought I was asleep under the coverlet... or awake, perhaps, in the other world—dead. I never sleep long, and I don't die easily—see!”
The Dutchwoman taunts Mildred, revealing she was not truly asleep and implying her resilience.
The Dutchwoman's cryptic and unsettling response.
“I'm not safe there from intrusion... I won't be pried upon by that young lady.”
The Dutchwoman refuses to stay in the state room because she fears Harry Fairfield's wife will spy on her.
The Dutchwoman's stated reason for leaving her room.