When the World Shook · Chapter
The Command explained
Arbuthnot reveals to Bastin and Bickley that he and Yva are affianced.
What happens
Arbuthnot reveals to Bastin and Bickley that he and Yva are affianced. Bickley warns that Yva can never be the wife of a mortal man, and Arbuthnot feels the truth of this. The three men, accompanied by Tommy, descend into the sepulchre for a final meeting with Yva, reflecting on the pain of parting with the known world.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Sacrifice
Arbuthnot and Yva pledge their love for eternity, aware that it cannot be fulfilled in mortal life.
Mortality and Immortality
The characters reflect on the pain of leaving the known world and the uncertainty of what lies beyond.
Clash of Beliefs
Bastin's Christian faith, Bickley's skepticism, and Arbuthnot's acceptance of a transcendent love all come into tension.
Characters to notice
- Humphrey Arbuthnot
Reveals his betrothal to Yva; feels the strain with Bastin and Bickley; senses that his love is for eternity, not time.
- Mr. Bastin
Congratulates Arbuthnot awkwardly; offers to perform a Christian wedding; comments on the beauty of the evening and Tommy's behavior.
- J. R. Bickley
Warns Arbuthnot that Yva will never be a mortal's wife; jokes about Venus; expresses regret at leaving the world.
- Yva
Appears suddenly in the sepulchre; is the object of all three men's affections; bound to Arbuthnot for eternity.
- Tommy
The only cheerful member of the party; skips and barks; mopes when Yva is absent.
Key passages
“I think that both Bastin and Bickley, by instinct as it were, knew what had passed between Yva and myself and that she had promised herself to me.”
Arbuthnot believes Bastin and Bickley instinctively know of his betrothal to Yva.
Opening of the chapter; sets the emotional tension.
“That woman, if woman she really is, will never be the wife of mortal man.”
Bickley warns that Yva cannot marry a mortal.
Bickley's Cassandra-like prophecy.
“It is all very well to talk of the Unknown and the Infinite whereof we are assured we are the heirs, but that does not make it any easier for us to part with the Known and the Finite.”
Philosophical reflection on the difficulty of leaving the familiar world.
Narrator's meditation on mortality.
“As he spoke the words Yva stood before us. Whence she came we did not see, for all our backs were turned at the moment of her arrival.”
Yva appears suddenly in the sepulchre.
Her entrance underscores her supernatural nature.