# XXIX: The Hour of Death explained — Uncle Silas > Chapter companion for Uncle Silas by J. Sheridan Le Fanu. ## What happens Maud, hiding in her room, witnesses Dudley Ruthyn murder Madame de la Rougierre with a hammer-like weapon. After the killing, Uncle Silas enters and coldly directs Dudley and Dickon Hawkes to dispose of the body and evidence. Maud seizes a moment of distraction to slip out of the room, but her escape is thwarted when she is seized by Tom Brice outside. ## Themes in this chapter ### Gothic Atmosphere and Fear The chapter is steeped in Gothic horror: the dark room, the moonlight, the sounds of murder, and Maud's terror as she hides and witnesses the crime. ### Deception and Appearance Uncle Silas presents a venerable, almost saintly appearance while orchestrating murder, and the murderers move with stealth and deception to avoid detection. ### Trust and Betrayal Maud is betrayed by Tom Brice, who seizes her as she tries to escape, and the murder itself is a betrayal of the trust placed in family members. ## Character check-ins ### Maud Ruthyn Hides in her room, witnesses the murder, and attempts to escape. ### Dudley Ruthyn Commits the murder of Madame de la Rougierre with a hammer-like instrument. ### Uncle Silas Enters after the murder, directs Dudley and Hawkes, and shows cold calculation. ### Madame de la Rougierre The victim; murdered in her bed by Dudley. ### Dickon Hawkes Assists in the aftermath, descends a ladder with a lantern. ### Tom Brice Seizes Maud outside the door, betraying her escape. ## Key lines > I heard a horrible tremor quivering through the joints and curtains of the bedstead—the convulsions of the murdered woman. It was a dreadful sound, like the shaking of a tree and rustling of leaves. Maud hears the bed shaking violently as the murdered woman convulses, a sound like a tree rustling in the wind. _Highlights the visceral horror of the murder scene._ > Then once more he steps to the side of the bed, and I heard another of those horrid blows—and silence—and another—and more silence—and the diabolical surgery was ended. Dudley strikes again and again until the victim is silent, and the gruesome killing is complete. _Emphasizes the methodical and brutal nature of the murder._ > I glided on tiptoe from the room and found myself on the gallery floor. I turned to my right, simply by chance, and followed a long gallery in the dark, not running—I was too fearful of making the least noise—but walking with the tiptoe-swiftness of terror. Maud escapes the room silently, moving as fast as she can without making a sound, driven by fear. _Shows Maud's desperate and cautious flight._ > To my wild surprise it was open. In a moment I was upon the step, in the free air, and as instantaneously was seized by the arm in the grip of a man. It was Tom Brice, who had already betrayed me. Maud finds the outer door open and steps outside, only to be immediately grabbed by Tom Brice, who betrays her. _Reveals the betrayal that foils Maud's escape._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters/volume-ii-xxix-the-hour-of-death - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/uncle_silas_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/uncle_silas_se/chapters