XXXI: Bartram-Haugh explained

What happens

Themes in this chapter

• Gothic Atmosphere and Fear

  The decaying Bartram-Haugh, with its moss-grown front, fallen trees, and forlorn character, creates a Gothic atmosphere of dread and decay.

• Deception and Appearance

  The gypsy's fortune-telling and the charmed pin suggest themes of deception and the contrast between appearance and reality.

• Isolation and Imprisonment

  Bartram-Haugh is described as a 'melancholy mansion' with a sense of desertion, foreshadowing Maud's isolation and potential imprisonment.

Characters to notice

• Maud Ruthyn

  Maud arrives at Bartram-Haugh, encounters a gypsy fortune-teller, and meets her cousin Milly. She is anxious about meeting Uncle Silas.

• Mary Quince

  Mary accompanies Maud, disapproves of her spending money on the gypsy's pin, and helps unpack at Bartram.

• Milly Ruthyn

  Milly, Maud's cousin, is introduced as a tall, black-haired, black-eyed girl with a rustic manner and short petticoats. She assists Maud and makes personal comparisons.

• Uncle Silas

  Uncle Silas is mentioned as the 'Governor' and is awaiting Maud in his room; Maud is about to meet him for the first time.

• Mother Hubbard

  Mother Hubbard appears at the door to inform Maud that Uncle Silas is ready to see her.

• L'Amour

  L'Amour is mentioned as another name for Mother Hubbard, who is called in by Milly.

Key passages

• “In a moment a tall, lithe girl, black-haired, black-eyed, and, as I thought, inexpressibly handsome, was smiling, with such beautiful rings of pearly teeth, at the window; and in her peculiar accent, with a suspicion of something foreign in it, proposing with many courtesies to tell the lady her fortune.”

  A tall, slender girl with black hair and eyes, strikingly beautiful, appeared at the window, smiling and offering to tell Maud's fortune with a foreign accent.

  Introduction of the gypsy fortune-teller.

• “I am ashamed to confess that I actually paid her a pound for this brass pin!”

  Maud admits she paid a pound for a brass pin from the gypsy, feeling embarrassed by her own superstition.

  Maud's purchase of the charmed pin reflects her anxiety.

• “All this gave to the aspect of Bartram a forlorn character of desertion and decay, contrasting almost awfully with the grandeur of its proportions and richness of its architecture.”

  Bartram-Haugh appeared deserted and decaying, a stark contrast to its grand and richly decorated architecture.

  Description of Bartram's Gothic decay.

• “In an instant all the comic sensations awakened by my singular cousin's eccentricities vanished, and I was thrilled with awe. I was about to see in the flesh—faded, broken, aged, but still identical—that being who had been the vision and the problem of so many years of my short life.”

  Maud's amusement at Milly's eccentricities disappears as she realizes she is about to meet Uncle Silas, the mysterious figure of her childhood.

  Maud's anticipation of meeting Uncle Silas.