The Woman in White: Hartright 1-2

Summary

Summary of "The Woman in White: Hartright 1-2" Episode on Storytime for Grownups

Release Date: May 5, 2025
Podcast: Storytime for Grownups
Host: Faith Moore

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Introduction

In the May 5, 2025 episode of Storytime for Grownups, host Faith Moore continues her immersive exploration of Wilkie Collins' classic novel, The Woman in White. This episode focuses specifically on chapters 1 and 2 of Walter Hartright's narrative. Faith adeptly combines her narration of the text with thoughtful commentary, aiming to make classic literature both accessible and engaging for adult listeners.

Recap of Previous Episode

Faith opens the episode by recapping the crucial events from the last installment. She reminds listeners that Walter Hartright had communicated Percival's death to Marian, deliberately choosing to withhold this grim news from Laura to safeguard her mental well-being. Faith summarizes Walter's reflections on Percival's potential involvement in the forgery of the registry and the accidental nature of the fire that led to Percival's demise.

Faith Moore [03:04]: "Walter writes to Marian and tells her that Percival is dead, but he tells her to keep this from Laura because it might make things worse for her mentally."

This strategic omission leaves Marian and Laura with partial knowledge of Percival's secret, casting a shadow of doubt and uncertainty over the situation.

Listener Questions and Comments

Faith engages with her audience by addressing two significant pieces of listener feedback:

1. Anne's Question on Percival's Parentage

   Anne inquires about the identity of Percival’s parents and the implications this has for determining the rightful heir to the estate.

   Anne [06:03]: "Do we know who Percival's parents are, and does it matter? It seems like it would due to needing to know the rightful heir."

2. Deli's Commentary on Mrs. Catherick

   Deli criticizes Mrs. Catherick’s character, highlighting her self-absorption and manipulative nature, drawing parallels with the narrator, Mr. Fairley.

   Deli [06:16]: "Mrs. Catherick gives Mr. Fairley a run for his money. She has his way of spelling out all her faults and crimes while expecting us to agree that she is the innocent victim."

In-Depth Character Analysis

Mrs. Catherick

Faith delves deep into Mrs. Catherick's complex character, portraying her as a deeply flawed individual whose selfish actions have inadvertently caused significant turmoil for the protagonists.

Faith Moore [06:37]: "Mrs. Catherick is kind of a piece of work... she's not really so deserving of our sympathy."

Faith discusses how Mrs. Catherick, out of desperation and self-interest, becomes complicit in Percival's forgery schemes, ensuring her own protection at the expense of others.

Mr. Fairley

Similarly, Mr. Fairley is examined not as a direct antagonist but as a negligent figure whose self-centeredness leads to increased hardships for Laura.

Faith Moore [06:40]: "Mr. Fairley isn't actually our villain... but there were several moments when he didn't do something that he should have done."

This comparison underscores a recurring theme in the novel: the impact of selfishness and negligence, even from non-villainous characters.

Plot Progression and Key Insights

The Secret Revealed

A pivotal moment in the story is the revelation of Percival's secret: his illegitimacy and the true line of inheritance.

Faith Moore [09:46]: "Percival was born out of wedlock... the real heir was actually a cousin of his who didn't even know that he was the heir."

This disclosure not only resolves the central mystery surrounding the inheritance but also repositions Walter's moral stance within the narrative.

Walter’s Moral Dilemma

Faith highlights Walter Hartright's unwavering integrity, emphasizing his refusal to exploit Percival's secret for personal gain or to manipulate the situation.

Faith Moore [10:22]: "Walter refuses to exploit the secret because it would force him into an unethical position, maintaining his moral compass despite the complexities."

Walter's decision ensures that justice ultimately prevails without compromising his principles, allowing the rightful heir to inherit as per tradition.

Listener Feedback: Deepening Understanding

Faith responds thoughtfully to Deli's criticism of Mrs. Catherick, aligning her perspective with Deli's assessment.

Faith Moore [15:57]: "Mrs. Catherick's actions were driven by self-preservation rather than genuine maternal concern."

This reflection adds depth to the character analysis, acknowledging the multifaceted motivations driving Mrs. Catherick's behavior.

Introduction of Count Fosco

As the narrative approaches its climax, Faith sets the stage for the impending confrontation with Count Fosco, a character renowned for his cunning and manipulative tactics.

Faith Moore [13:46]: "The stage is set for the final part of the book, with Count Fosco positioned as the main antagonist we anticipate will drive the remaining conflicts."

Count Fosco's introduction signals the transition towards the resolution of the novel's central conflicts, promising a gripping culmination to the story.

Transition to the Final Part of the Book

With most of the central mysteries unraveling, Faith prepares listeners for the concluding chapters, emphasizing the impending showdown with Count Fosco.

Faith Moore [16:01]: "We've got six episodes left. So we've got to find our way to some kind of conclusion fairly soon, and it looks like it will involve Count Fosco."

This forward-looking statement builds anticipation, encouraging continued engagement as the story nears its resolution.

Notable Quotes and Insights

Throughout the episode, Faith intersperses her commentary with impactful quotes from the narrative, enhancing understanding and providing direct evidence for her analyses.

Faith Moore [37:13]: "The obligatory moral stance Walter maintains highlights his integrity and sets him apart from the deceitful characters around him."

Faith Moore [38:14]: "He had sorry feelings for Walter's family and couldn't bring himself to harm Marian directly, showcasing a complex interplay of emotions and motivations."

These quotes serve to illustrate the nuanced character dynamics and ethical dilemmas at the heart of the novel.

Conclusion

Faith Moore wraps up the episode by reaffirming the progress made in unraveling the intricate plot of The Woman in White. She emphasizes the importance of understanding character motivations and ethical standings as the story moves towards its climax. Faith expresses enthusiasm for the remaining episodes, promising to continue dissecting the novel's themes and character arcs.

Faith Moore [58:43]: "Through what mortal crime and horror... the lost creature had wandered in God's leading to the last home that living she never hoped to reach."

This poignant reflection underscores the enduring impact of Anne Catherick's plight on the narrative, setting an emotional tone as the story advances towards its denouement.

Faith concludes by encouraging listener interaction and expressing gratitude, maintaining a warm and engaging connection with her audience.

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End of Summary

This detailed summary encapsulates the key discussions, character analyses, plot advancements, and insightful reflections presented by Faith Moore in the episode. By intertwining direct quotes with comprehensive commentary, the summary provides a rich and engaging overview suitable for both avid listeners and newcomers to Storytime for Grownups.

Transcript

[Faith Moore]

Hello and welcome to Storytime for Grown Ups. I'm Faith Moore and this season we're reading the Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. Each episode I'll read a few chapters from the book, pausing from time to time to give brief explanations so it's easier to follow along. It's like an audiobook with built in notes. So brew a pot of tea, find a cozy chair and settle in. It's story time. Hi everyone.

[Unknown Host]

Welcome back. I'm not sure if you can tell, but my voice is a little scratchy today. I've succumbed to either the allergies that everybody seems to have at the moment or the cold that of my kids probably brought home from school. So whatever it is, I'm a little under the weather and so I do apologize for my scratchy voice. The chapters were recorded before and when I was not having a scratchy voice. So you will not have to listen to a scratchy voice for the entirety of this episode. But I am going to do the intro now and hopefully my voice will hold out. I won't go on and on too long and we'll get through it. So I'm so happy to be here with you regardless of my stuffynose and thank you for being here. Thank you for joining us today to listen to more of this amazing book, the Woman in White. A lot of questions got answered last time, right? A lot of those questions that you guys have been writing into me amazingly, sort of for the whole time now got answered in the last episode. So we're going to talk about that. I have two questions that I'm going to read and that'll help us kind of, I think, lay the secret to rest, right? It's time to lay the secret to rest and move into this final part of the book. This final sequence that is coming that we assume involves Count Fosco. So don't forget to subscribe. Tap those five stars if you're enjoying the show. Leave a positive review if you have a couple of seconds. And please scroll down into the show notes and take a look at the links that are there. You can buy some merchandise, you can join us in our online community, you can make a financial donation or you can just go to my website and send me an email. I would love that.

[Faith Moore]

So check out those links.

[Unknown Host]

Maybe there's something there that would be of interest to you and tell a friend, please spread the word about this show. You know, as we go into the end of this book and summer session, I would love to alert more people to this show. So that when we start a new book in September, we have even more of you listening than we do now because the more the merrier. Okay, so last time we read Heart rights narrative chapter 11 and Catherick's narrative. And today we're going to read Heart Wright's narrative chapter, chapters one and two. So we're back to Heart, right, But the numbers are starting again because we had this brief interlude with Mrs. Catherick which we're going to talk about in just a minute. So heart rate 1 and 2 is today, but let's talk just a little bit about what we read last time. Here's the recap.

[Faith Moore]

Okay, so where we left off.

[Unknown Host]

Walter writes to Marian and tells her that Percival is dead.

[Faith Moore]

But he tells her to keep this from Laura because it might make things worse for her mentally. He states days for the inquest, but.

[Unknown Host]

He isn't needed there for long because.

[Faith Moore]

No one knows that he knew anything.

[Unknown Host]

About Percival and they assume he was just like a helpful bystander. Walter's own opinion about what happened is.

[Faith Moore]

That Percival was trying to destroy the forged page of the registry and that.

[Unknown Host]

The fire happened by accident and that then he couldn't get out because the lock was broken. The whole situation is bad for Walter.

[Faith Moore]

Marian and Laura because even though they.

[Unknown Host]

Know now what Percival's secret is, was they can't prove it. And also Percival's dead, so they can't hold it against him in any way.

[Faith Moore]

As Walter is sitting in the restaurant.

[Unknown Host]

At the inn, a letter is delivered.

[Faith Moore]

To him which, even though it's not.

[Unknown Host]

Signed, is clearly from Mrs. Catherick. It turns out that Mrs. Catherick is thrilled that Percival is dead and she credits Walter with the death because he.

[Faith Moore]

Drove Percival to feel he needed to.

[Unknown Host]

Go to the church and destroy the forgery. Because of this, she's grateful enough to tell Walter about her connection to Percival. She tells him that Percival came to.

[Faith Moore]

Town and flattered her and gave her gifts in exchange for her getting the.

[Unknown Host]

Key to the vestry for him from her husband.

[Faith Moore]

She did this, but she spied on him afterwards and found out about the forgery. She says he told her that he was trying to get his father's property and title but needed a marriage certificate and that even though his parents had.

[Unknown Host]

Lived as man and wife, they actually.

[Faith Moore]

Weren'T married because his mother was married to somebody else and had left him.

[Unknown Host]

So the real heir was actually a cousin of his who didn't even know that he was the heir.

[Faith Moore]

Apparently, his first plan was just to rip out the page where the wedding.

[Unknown Host]

Wedding would have been listed. But then when he saw that there was a space there, he decided to write in the wedding. Percival gave Mrs. Catherick a gold watch to keep her quiet and she asked.

[Faith Moore]

Him to tell her husband that they.

[Unknown Host]

Weren'T having an affair.

[Faith Moore]

He refused and instead allowed her reputation to be ruined because he knew that if she ever decided to tell his.

[Unknown Host]

Secret, no one would believe her.

[Faith Moore]

He also told her that there was.

[Unknown Host]

A huge penalty for the sort of crime he had committed at the time. It would have been hanging.

[Faith Moore]

And that if anyone found out that.

[Unknown Host]

She had helped him, she would be hanged as well.

[Faith Moore]

He paid her to stay in the village where no one would believe her, which she agreed to do because she.

[Unknown Host]

Needed money because her husband had left her. Anytime she wanted to leave, she had to get Percival's permission first. She says that one day she asked to go somewhere and he said no.

[Faith Moore]

And she said something out loud in.

[Unknown Host]

Front of Anne about Percival's secret.

[Faith Moore]

So Anne picked up on this and.

[Unknown Host]

Mentioned it to Percival one day. Even though Anne didn't actually know the secret, Percival felt that she did and he had her put in the mental asylum. This solidified the idea of the secret.

[Faith Moore]

In Ann's brain such that she thought.

[Unknown Host]

She actually did know the secret, even though she actually never knew it. The last thing that Mrs. Catherick tells.

[Faith Moore]

Walter is that she will always maintain that her husband, Mr. Catherick, was Anne's father and that he shouldn't offend her.

[Unknown Host]

By ever asking her about that. Okay, so as I say, I have two questions or comments today. The first one comes from Anne. Anne writes, okay, I. I'm a bit confused. Do we know who Percival's parents are.

[Faith Moore]

And does it matter?

[Unknown Host]

It seems like it would due to needing to know the rightful heir. Boy, what despicable people. And the second one comes from Deli. Deli writes, I didn't think we could get a more self absorbed, infuriating narrator than Mr. Fairley, but Mrs. Catherick gives him a run for his money. She has his way of spelling out all her faults and crimes while expecting.

[Faith Moore]

Us to agree that she is the innocent victim.

[Unknown Host]

She even sounded proud of not being as scrupulous as other women. I'm glad no one could see the disgusted faces I was making during my morning run listening to her talk about letting Walter put his arm around her waist and kiss her. Okay, so I would say that the last episode was kind of like an info dump, right? It was an engaging one because as Deli says, Mrs. Catherick is kind of a piece of work, and so it's emotionally involving to listen to her, even if your emotion is disgust or anger or whatever. But really, I think this is Wilkie Collins kind of tying up the loose ends about the secret. Right. We said last time that we now know what the secret is, but we didn't fully know yet exactly how it all went down and what Mrs. Catherick had to do with any of it. So the last chapter essentially gave us the answers to those questions, most likely so that we can kind of move on now from the Secret, since it doesn't turn out to be of any actual use now because Percival is dead and transitioning away from all of that, that and into the final sequence of this story, which is looking like it's going to involve some sort of showdown with the Count. Right. But for the purposes of clarity and following along, we should just briefly go over what we learned. So Anne's question alludes to a question which I got last time as well, and which I think is confusing to us, right. As 21st century listeners. And so it does bear repeating. Okay. The secret was not that Percival showed up out of nowhere and claimed to be Sir Felix Glyde's son and then inherited the money. That's not it. Percival's parents, to answer Anne's question, are Sir Felix Glyde and Cecilia Jane Elster. Okay. Felix and Cecilia lived as if they were married, but weren't actually married, because we learned Cecilia was already married to someone else who had mistreated her. And so she had left him, but.

[Faith Moore]

Without some sort of divorce, which is.

[Unknown Host]

Extremely hard to get at that time. She couldn't marry anyone else because that would be bigamy. So Sir Felix and Cecilia lived as if they were married and they had a son. And that son was Percival, the same Percival who has been a character in this book all this time, the Percival that is Laura's husband. In fact, Percival didn't even know that his parents weren't married until after his mother's death. Right. He thought he was legitimate up until that moment, but then his father confessed and Percival realized that he had actually no claim to the baronetcy or to Blackwater Park. So it's not that Percival turns out to have different parents or to be a different person than we thought, it's only that we thought his parents were married when they had him, but they actually weren't. So because he was illegitimate and because his parents didn't have any other children, the actual heir is some sort of distant relative of Sir Felix, Percival's father. So probably it's like a cousin of his or something. This person had no idea that he was the heir because everyone assumed that Percival was legitimate.

[Faith Moore]

And so he never came to claim.

[Unknown Host]

His inheritance because he didn't even know that it was his. And also he was apparently away at sea, we learned last time, at the time of Felix's death. Anyway, so the fact that everyone assumed that Percival's parents were married and the fact that the real heir didn't know he was the heir, made it easy for Percival to just pretend that he was legitimate and then to put it in writing by forging his parents marriage in the marriage register. One thing that I do think is interesting about this whole situation is that it allows us another glimpse at Walter's kind of moral worldview.

[Faith Moore]

Because he tells us that even if.

[Unknown Host]

Percival had lived, Walter wouldn't have felt comfortable using the secret to get Percival to confess. Because if Percival did confess, then Walter.

[Faith Moore]

Would have to keep the secret.

[Unknown Host]

Right? That would be the bargain. Confess and I won't reveal your secret. Okay. And if he did keep the secret.

[Faith Moore]

Then Walter would also be involved in.

[Unknown Host]

Keeping the rightful heir from the title and the property that were his by rights. So Walter would be robbing the rightful heir of his lands and title just the way that Percival did. And Walter refuses to do it. So even if Percival had lived and Walter had found out the secret, the secret would still have been a dead end in the hands of someone as scrupulous as Walter.

[Faith Moore]

Here is what he says.

[Unknown Host]

He says if Sir Percival had lived, the discovery from which, in my ignorance of true nature of the secret I had hoped so much could not have been mine to suppress or to make public, as I thought best for the vindication of Laura's rights in common honesty and common honor. I must have gone at once to the stranger whose birthright had been usurped. I must have renounced the victory at the moment when it was mine by placing my discovery unreservedly in the stranger's hands. So of course he doesn't have to do that now, Because Percival's death will actually make it so that the rightful heir will now inherit anyway. Because Percival had no children. So that same heir, this distant relation who's apparently at sea, that guy, is the one who will now become a baronet and get to take possession of Blackwater Park. So the wrong that Percival committed in essentially stealing those things from this random other guy will now be set right without Walter having to do anything. Because it'll just happen As a matter of course, that everything will go to that guy now that it's been confirmed that Percival is dead. So that lays the secret and its chance of helping our heroes to rest. Right? It can't help us, and we're going to move on. And of course, also we learned the various details that we were wondering about, like why Mrs. Catherick had anything to do with it. Okay. It was because he bribed her. Percival bribed her with trinkets, and she helped him get into the vestry and commit the forgery, which made her an accomplice. So if he went down for the forgery, she would go down with him, which is what kept her quiet. And we also got confirmation that Anne really didn't know the secret. She just thought she did. And in fact, locking her up for knowing the secret caused her to believe wholeheartedly that she did know it. So there's those dominoes again, right? If he hadn't locked her away, she wouldn't have been so adamant that she knew the secret. And if she hadn't been so adamant that she knew the secret, then she might not have tried to tell Laura. And if she hadn't mentioned the secret to Laura, Percival wouldn't have thought that she knew it. And on and on and on from there. And we learned that the letter that Marian got from Mrs. Catherick way back at the beginning of the book, when Percival insisted that Marian Write to Mrs. Catherick to get information that Percival had had Anne committed with her mother's approval, that letter really was written by Mrs. Catherick. Right. Some of you had thought that it had been written by Percival himself, but it wasn't. It was written by Mrs. Catherick, but of course at Percival's request, because Mrs. Catherick was basically being forced to do his bidding in order to keep the money coming and also to make sure that he didn't expose her as his accomplice and have her arrested. So that's that basically.

[Faith Moore]

Right.

[Unknown Host]

Check the box of the secret and move on. The only mystery that comes from this plot line is, of course, who Anne's father really is. We still don't know that because Mrs. Catherick refuses to acknowledge that it's anyone other than her husband, even though we really know that the timing of things makes that impossible. So there is a different father out there, and that's still a mystery, which hopefully we'll figure out soon. But otherwise it's kind of like on to Count Fosco. But I do want to just touch on What Deli is talking about in her letter. You know, when we first met Mrs. Catherick, when Walter went to interview her a few chapters ago, a lot of us had some sympathy for her. She had been wronged. People thought she had had an affair with Percival and she hadn't. And she had bravely faced the people who had renounced her, and she had clawed her way back into everyone's good graces and everything. So we thought that she was kind of hard and maybe a little bit callous. But we could also sympathize with her. I think now, though, we can see that she's not really so deserving of our sympathy. She got herself into this mess by agreeing to aid and abet a crime. And she's a mother who didn't love her child, which, at least in my book, sort of negates any positive feeling that I might have had toward her at all. I don't care what sort of mental concerns that your child has. You still love your child because you're that child's mother. And Mrs. Catherick didn't do that. So I, for one, kind of can't forgive her. And as Deli says, she keeps trying to convince us that all the horrible stuff that she did was actually good and exactly what anyone else would have done. Like when Percival insists on having Anne committed to a madhouse, Mrs. Catherick is like, sure, whatever. But let's make it a private asylum so that no one thinks that I can't afford the very best for my child. Right? Not because she wants the very best for Anne, but because she doesn't want anyone to think that she can't afford the very best. And then she tries to pass that off as her being a good mother to Anne. Here's what she says. I won't have her put in a pauper asylum.

[Faith Moore]

A private establishment, if you please.

[Unknown Host]

I have my feelings as a mother.

[Faith Moore]

And my character to preserve in the town.

[Unknown Host]

And I will submit to nothing but.

[Faith Moore]

A private establishment of the sort which.

[Unknown Host]

My genteel neighbors would choose for afflicted relatives of their own. Okay, so ick, basically. But I think Dele is right to compare her to Mr. Fairley because. And this is something that many of you have been pointing out about Mr. Fairley for a while now, Mr. Fairley isn't actually our villain. He didn't commit the conspiracy to switch Anne and Laura. He didn't pocket Laura's money. He didn't do any of that. But there were several moments dating right back to Gilmore trying to make the marriage settlement. There were several moments when he didn't do something that he should have done. When he didn't stand up for Laura's rights or protect her from unscrupulous people or whatever it was. Because he was looking out for number one. Right? He only cares about Mr. Fairley. And that means that he allowed a lot of things to happen to Laura simply by neglecting her. And that makes him a bad guy, if not the bad guy. And Mrs. Catherick is kind of another one of these characters. Someone who, in only looking out for herself and feeling somehow justified in only looking out for herself, caused the ruin of other lives, right? Anne's life, certainly, and even Laura's, because she helped Percival commit the forgery which became the secret. So it's astute, I think, of Deli to group those two characters together because I think they definitely do fall into the same category of people who aren't actively out to get our heroes, but who have made things worse for them nonetheless due to their selfishness. So now we've got all of that, or most of that kind of cleared up. And as I say, the stage is set for the final part of the book. We've got six episodes left. Only six. Okay. And so we've got to find our way to some kind of conclusion of all of this fairly soon. And as far as we can tell at this point, the road to that conclusion lies through Count Fosco. So let's keep reading. And of course, write to me. Send me all of your Questions and thoughts faithkmoore.com and click on Contact. Or just scroll into the show notes, check out all the links and you can find the contact link there as well.

[Faith Moore]

Alright, let's get started with Hartright's narrative.

[Unknown Host]

Chapters one and two of the Woman in White by Wilkie Collins. It's story time.

[Faith Moore]

The Story continued by Walter Hartright. 1. My first impulse after reading Mrs. Catherick's extraordinary narrative was to destroy it. The hardened, shameless depravity of the whole composition from beginning to end, the atrocious perversity of mind which persistently associated me with a calamity for which I was in no sense answerable, and with a death which I had risked my life in trying to avert, so disgusted me that I was on the point of tearing the letter when a consideration suggested itself which warned me to wait a little before I destroyed it. This consideration was entirely unconnected with Sir Percival. The information communicated to me, so far as it concerned him, did little more than confirm the conclusions at which I had already arrived.

[Unknown Host]

He had committed his offence as I.

[Faith Moore]

Had supposed him to have committed it.

[Unknown Host]

And the absence of all reference on.

[Faith Moore]

Mrs. Catherick's part to the duplicate register at Knowlesbury strengthened my previous conviction that the existence of the book and the risk of detection which it implied, must have been necessary, necessarily unknown to Sir Percivale. Percival had no idea that there was a copy of the registry and never took that into consideration. My interest in the question of the forgery was now at an end and my only object in keeping the letter was to make it of some future service in clearing up the last mystery that still remained to baffle me. The parentage of Anne Catherick on the father's side. So the only mystery that's still outstanding at this point is who Anna's father was. There were one or two sentences dropped in her mother's narrative which it might be useful to refer to again when matters of more immediate importance allowed me leisure to search for the missing evidence. I did not despair of still finding that evidence. And I had lost none of my anxiety to discover it, for I had lost none of my interest in tracing the father of the poor creature who now lay at rest in Mrs. Fairlie's grave. Accordingly, I sealed up the letter and put it away carefully in my pocket book, to be referred to again when the time came. The next day was my last in Hampshire, when I had appeared again before the magistrate at Knowlesbury, and when I had attended at the adjourned inquest. I should be free to return to London by the afternoon or the evening train. My first errand in the morning was, as usual, to the post office. The letter from Marian was there, but I thought when it was handed to me that it felt unusually light. I anxiously opened the envelope. There was nothing inside but a small strip of paper folded in two. The few blotted, hurriedly written lines which were traced on it contained these. Come back as soon as you can. I have been obliged to move. Come to Gower's Walk, Fulham, number five. I will be on the lookout for you. Don't be alarmed about us. We are both safe and well. But come back, Marian. The news which those lines contained, news which I instantly associated with some attempted treachery on the part of Count Fosco, fairly overwhelmed me. I stood breathless, with the paper crumpled in my hand. What had happened? What subtle wickedness had the count planned and executed in my absence? A night had passed since Marian's note was written. Hours must elapse still before I could get Back to them some new disaster might have happened already of which I was ignorant. And here, miles and miles away from them. Here I must remain held, doubly held at the disposal of the law. I hardly know to what forgetfulness of my obligations. Anxiety and alarm might not have tempted me. But for the quieting influence of my faith in Marian. My absolute reliance on her was the one earthly consideration which helped me to restrain myself and gave me courage to wait. The inquest was the first of the impediments in the way of my freedom of action. I attended it at the appointed time, the legal formalities requiring my presence in the room, but, as it turned out, not calling on me to repeat my evidence. This useless delay was a hard trial. Although I did my best to quiet my impatience by following the course of the proceedings as closely as I could. The London solicitor of the deceased, Mr. Merriman, was among the persons present. But he was quite unable to assist the objects of the inquiry. He could only say that he was inexpressibly shocked and astonished and that he could throw no light whatever on the mysterious circumstances of the case. At intervals during the adjourned investigation, he suggested questions which the coroner put, but which led to no results. After a patient inquiry which lasted nearly three hours and which exhausted every available source of information, the jury pronounced the customary verdict in cases of sudden death by accident. They added to the formal decision a statement that there had been no evidence to show how the keys had been abstracted, how the fire had been caused or what the purpose was for which the deceased had entered the vestry. Okay, so Percival's death is ruled an accident. But no conclusive decision is reached on how it all happened. This act closed the proceedings. The legal representative of the dead man was left to provide for the necessities of the internment and the witnesses were free to retire. Resolved not to lose a minute in getting to Knowlesbury, I paid my bill at the hotel and hired a fly to take me to the town. A gentleman who heard me give the order and who saw that I was going alone informed me that he lived in the neighborhood of Knowlesbury and asked if I would have any objection to his getting home by sharing the fly with me. I accepted his proposal as a matter of course. Our conversation during the drive was naturally occupied by the one absorbing subject of local interest. My new acquaintance had some knowledge of the late Sir Percival's solicitor. And he and Mr. Merriman had been discussing the state of the deceased gentleman's affairs and the succession to the property. Sir Percival's embarrassments were so well known all over the county that his solicitor could only make a virtue of necessity and plainly acknowledge them. He had died without leaving a will and he had no personal property to bequeath, even if he had made one. The whole fortune which he had derived from his wife having been swallowed up by his creditors. Meaning all of Laura's money is gone because he had to use it to pay off his debts. The heir to the estate, Sir Percival, having left no issue, meaning he has no children, was a son of Sir Felix Glyde's first cousin, an officer in command of an East Indiaman. Meaning he's in charge of a ship. He would find his unexpected inheritance sadly encumbered, but the property would recover with time. And if the captain was careful, he might be a rich man yet before he died. Meaning there are still debts and legal issues that this person will now inherit, but eventually he'll become rich. Absorbed as I was in the one idea of getting to London, this information, which events proved to be perfectly correct, had an interest of its own to attract my attention. I thought it justified me in keeping secret my discovery of Sir Percival's fraud. The heir whose rights he had usurped was the heir who would now have the estate. So the person who should originally have inherited instead of Sir Percival is now.

[Unknown Host]

The person who will inherit because he's dead.

[Faith Moore]

The income from it for the last three and 20 years, which should properly have been his and which the dead man had squandered to the last farthing, was gone beyond recall. If I spoke, my speaking would confer advantage on no one. If I kept the secret, my silence concealed the character of the man who had cheated Laura into marrying him. For her sake, I wished to conceal it. For her sake still, I tell this story under feigned names, meaning he's been using fake names for everyone all this time. I parted with my chance companion at Knowlesbury and went at once to the town hall. As I had anticipated, no one was present to prosecute the case against me. The necessary formalities were observed and I was discharged. On leaving the court, a letter from Mr. Dawson was put into my hand. It informed me that he was absent on professional duty and it reiterated the offer I had already received from him of any assistance which I might require at his hands. I wrote back warmly acknowledging my obligations to his kindness and apologizing for not expressing my thanks personally. In consequence of my immediate recall on pressing business to town, half an hour later I was speeding back to London by the express train. 2 It was between 9 and 10 o'clock before I reached Fulham and found my way to Gower's Walk. Both Laura and Marion came to the door to let me in. I think we had hardly known how close the tie was which bound us three together until the evening came which united us again. We met as if we had been parted for months instead of for a few days only. Marian's face was sadly worn and anxious, I saw, who had known all the danger and borne all the trouble in my absence. The moment I looked at her, Laura's brighter looks and brighter spirits told me how carefully she had been spared all knowledge of the dreadful death at Welmingham and of the true reason of our change of abode. The stir of the removal seemed to have cheered and interested her. She only spoke of it as a happy thought of Marian's to surprise me on my return with a change from the close, noisy street to the pleasant neighbourhood of trees and fields and the river. She was full of projects for the future of the drawings she was to finish of the purchasers I had found in the country who were to buy them of the shillings and sixpences she had saved till her purse was so heavy that she proudly asked me to weigh it in my own hand. The change for the better which had been wrought in her during the few days of my absence was a surprise to me, for which I was quite unprepared. And for all the unspeakable happiness of seeing it, I was indebted to Marian's courage and to Marian's love. When Laura had left us, and when we could speak to one another without restraint, I tried to give some expression to the gratitude and the admiration which filled my heart. But the generous creature would not wait to hear me. That sublime self forgetfulness of women which yields so much and asks so little, turned all her thoughts from herself to me. I had only a moment left before post time, she said, or I should have written less abruptly. You look worn and weary, Walter. I am afraid my letter must have seriously alarmed you. Only at first, I replied. My mind was quieted. Marian, by my trust in you, was I right in attributing this sudden change of place to some threatened annoyance on the part of Count Fosco? Perfectly right, she said. I saw him yesterday. And worse than that, Walter, I spoke to him. Spoke to him? Did he know where we lived? Did he come to the house? He did to the house, but not upstairs. Laura never saw him. Laura suspects nothing. I will tell you how it happened. The danger I believe and hope Is over now. Yesterday I was in the sitting room at our old lodgings. Laura was drawing at the table, and I was walking about and setting things to rights. I passed the window, and as I passed it looked out into the street. There, on the opposite side of the way, I saw the count with a man talking to him. Did he notice you at the window? No. At least I thought not. I was too violently startled to be quite sure. Who was the other man?

[Unknown Host]

A stranger?

[Faith Moore]

Not a stranger, Walter. As soon as I could draw my breath again, I recognized him. He was the owner of the lunatic asylum. Was the count pointing out the house to him? No. They were talking together as if they had accidentally met in the street. I remained at the window, looking at them from behind the curtain. If I had turned round and if Laura had seen my face at that moment, thank God she was absorbed over her drawing. They soon parted. The man from the asylum went one way and the count the other. I began to hope they were in the street by chance. Till I saw the count come back, stop opposite to us again, take out his card case and pencil, write something, and then cross the road to the shop below us. I ran past Laura before she could see me and said I had forgotten something upstairs. As soon as I was out of the room, I went down to the first landing and waited. I was determined to stop him if he tried to come upstairs. He made no such attempt. The girl from the shop came through the door into the passage with his card in her hand. A large gilt card with his name and a coronet above it and these lines underneath it in pencil. Dear lady. Yes, the villain could address me in that way still. Dear lady, one word, I implore you on a matter serious to us both. If one can think at all, in serious difficulties, one thinks quick. I felt directly that it might be a fatal mistake to leave myself and to leave you in the dark where such a man as the count was concerned. I felt that the doubt of what he might do in your absence would be 10 times more trying to me if I declined to see him than if I consented. Meaning Fosco wants to talk to her. And she figured it was more dangerous not to talk to him than to do it. Ask the gentleman to wait in the shop, I said. I will be with him in a moment. I ran upstairs for my bonnet, being determined not to let him speak to me indoors. I knew his deep, ringing voice, and I was afraid Laura might hear it even in the shop. In less than a minute I was down again in the passage and had opened the door into the street. He came round to meet me from the shop. There he was, in deep mourning with his smooth bow and his deadly smile. And some idle boys and women near him, staring at his great size, his fine clothes and his large cane with the gold knob to it. All the horrible time at Blackwater came back to me the moment I set eyes on him. All the old loathing crept and crawled through me when he took off his hat with a flourish and spoke to me as if we had parted on the friendliest terms hardly a day since. You remember what he said? I can't repeat it, Walter. You shall know directly what he said about you. But I can't repeat what he said to me. It was worse than the polite insolence of his letter. Meaning he praised her and spoke to her of his admiration for her. My hands tingled to strike him as if I had been a man. I only kept them quiet by tearing his card to pieces under my shawl. Without saying a word on my side. I walked away from the house for fear of Laura seeing us. And he followed, protesting softly all the way in the first by street. I turned and asked him what he wanted with me. He wanted two things. First, if I had no objection to express his sentiments, I declined to hear them. Secondly, to repeat the warning in his letter. I asked what occasion there was for repeating it. He bowed and smiled and said he would explain. The explanation exactly confirmed the fears I expressed before you left us. I told you, if you remember, that Sir Percival would be too headstrong to take his friend's advice where you were concerned. And that there was no danger to be dreaded from the count till his own interests were threatened and he was roused into acting for himself. Meaning the count will only come after them if whatever they're doing affects him directly. I recollect Marian. Well. So it has really turned out. The count offered his advice, but it was refused. Sir Percival would only take counsel of his own violence, his own obstinacy and his own hatred of you. The count let him have his way first privately ascertaining in case of his own interests being threatened next. Where we lived. You were followed, Walter, on returning here after your first journey to Hampshire. By the lawyer's men for some distance from the railway. And by the count himself to the door of the house. House? How he contrived to escape being seen by you, he did not tell me. But he found us out on that occasion. And in that way, having made the discovery, he took no Advantage of it till the news reached him of Sir Percival's death. And then, as I told you, he acted for himself. Because he believed you would next proceed against the dead man's partner in the conspiracy. Meaning, now that Percival is dead, Fosco assumes that Walter is going to come for him next. He at once made his arrangements to meet the owner of the asylum in London and to take him to the place where his runaway patient was hidden, Believing that the results, whichever way they ended, would be to involve you in interminable legal disputes and difficulties. And to tie your hands for all purposes of offense. So far as he was concerned, though, Fosco's plan was to get the asylum director involved. Because, remember, as far as the director knows, Laura is Anne escaped from his asylum. And him trying to get her back and Walter trying to prove that she's really Laura would stop everyone from involving Fosco. That was his purpose. On his own confession to me. The only consideration which made him hesitate at the last moment. Yes, it is hard to acknowledge it, Poulter. And yet I must. I was the only consideration. No words can say how degraded I feel in my own estimation when I think of it.

[Unknown Host]

But the one weak point in that.

[Faith Moore]

Man'S iron character is the horrible admiration he feels for me. I have tried, for the sake of my own self respect, to disbelieve it as long as I could.

[Unknown Host]

But his looks, his actions, force on.

[Faith Moore]

Me the shameful conviction of the truth. The eyes of that monster of wickedness moistened while he was speaking to me. They did, Walter. He declared that at the moment of pointing out the house to the doctor, he thought of my misery. If I was separate, separated from Laura, of my responsibility, if I was called on to answer for effecting her escape. And he risked the worst that you could do to him the second time for my sake.

[Unknown Host]

All he asked was that I would.

[Faith Moore]

Remember this sacrifice and restrain your rashness in my own interests. Interests which he might never be able to consult again. I made no such bargain with him.

[Unknown Host]

I would have died first.

[Faith Moore]

But believe him or not, whether it is true or false that he sent the doctor away with an excuse, one thing is certain. I saw the man leave him without so much as a glance at our window or even at our side of the way. So in the end, Fosco didn't tell the asylum director where to find Laura. Because Fosco really does admire and love Marian. And he couldn't bear to harm her. I believe it, Marian. The best men are not consistent in good. Why should the worst men be consistent in evil. At the same time, I suspect him of merely attempting to frighten you by threatening what he cannot really do. I doubt his power of annoying us by means of the owner of the asylum. Now that Sir Percival is dead and Mrs. Catherick is free from all control. But let me hear more. What did the count say of me? He spoke last of you. His eyes brightened and hardened and his manner changed to what I remember it in past times. To that mixture of pitiless resolution and Mountbank mockery which makes it so impossible to fathom him. Warn Mr. Hartright, he said in his loftiest manner. He has a man of brains to deal with. A man who snaps his big fingers at the laws and conventions of society when he measures himself with me. If my lamented friend had taken my advice, the business of the inquest would have been with the body of Mr. Hartright. Meaning he had advised Percival to have Walter killed. But my lamented friend was obstinate. See, I mourn his loss inwardly in my soul, outwardly on my hat. Meaning he's wearing mourning clothes because of Sir Percival's death. This trivial creep expresses sensibilities which I summon Mr. Hartright to respect. They may be transformed to immeasurable enmities if he ventures to disturb them. Let him be content with what he has got, with what I leave unmolested for your sake to him and to you. Say to him with my compliments. If he stirs me. He has Fosco to deal with in the English of the popular tongue. I inform him Fosco sticks at nothing. Dear lady, good morning. His cold grey eyes settled on my face. He took off his hat solemnly bowed bareheaded and left me without returning. Without saying more last words, he turned at the corner of the street and waved his hand, then struck it theatrically on his breast. I lost sight of him after that. He disappeared in the opposite direction to our house and I ran back to Laura. Before I was indoors again, I had made up my mind that we must go. The house, especially in your absence, was a place of danger instead of a place of safety, now that the Count had discovered it. If I could have felt certain of your return, I should have risked waiting till you came back. But I was certain of nothing and I acted at once on my own impulse. You had spoken before leaving us of moving into a quieter neighbourhood and purer air for the sake of Laura's health. I had only to remind her of that and to suggest surprising you and saving you trouble by managing the move in your absence. To make her quite as anxious for the change as I was. Was? She helped me to pack up your things. And she has arranged them all for you in your new working room here. What made you think of coming to this place? My ignorance of other localities in the neighbourhood of London. I felt the necessity of getting as far away as possible from our old lodgings. And I knew something of Fulham because I had once been at school there. I dispatched a messenger with a note on the chance that the school might still be in existence. It was in existence. The daughters of my old mistress were carrying it on for her. And they engaged this place from the instructions I had sent. It was just post time when the messenger returned to me with the address of the house. We moved after dark. We came here quite unobserved. Have I done right? Walter? Have I justified your trust in me? I answered her warmly and gratefully as I really felt. But the anxious look still remained on her face while I was speaking. And the first question she asked when I had done related to Count Fosco. I saw that she was thinking of him now with a changed mind. No fresh outbreak of anger against him. No new appeal to me to hasten the day of reckoning escaped her. Her conviction that the man's hateful admiration of herself was really sincere seemed to have increased a hundredfold. Her distrust of his unfathomable cunning. Her inborn dread of the wicked energy and vigilance of all his faculties. Her voice fell low. Her manner was hesitating. Her eyes searched into mine with an eager fear. When she asked me what I thought of his message and what I meant to do next after hearing it. Not many weeks have passed. Marian. I answered. Since my interview with Mr. Curll. When he and I parted. The last words I said to him about Laura were Her uncle's house shall open to receive her in the presence of every soul who followed the false funeral to the grave. The lie that records her death shall be publicly erased from the tombstone by the authority of the head of the family. And the two men who have wronged her shall answer for their crime to me. Though the justice that sits in tribunals is powerless to pursue them. One of those men is beyond mortal reach. The other remains. And my resolution remains. Meaning? He's gonna hound Fosco to the end of the earth if he has to. Her eyes lit up. Her color rose. She said nothing. But I saw all her sympathies gathering to mine in her face. I don't disguise from myself or from you. I went on that the prospect before us is more than doubtful. The risks we have run already are. It may be trifles compared with the risks that threaten us in the future, but the venture shall be tried. Marian, for all that, I am not rash enough to measure myself against such a man as the Count before. I am well prepared for him. I have learnt patience. I can wait my time. Let him believe that his message has produced its effect. Let him know nothing of us and hear nothing of us. Let us give him full time to feel secure. His own boastful nature, unless I seriously mistake him, will hasten that result. This is one reason for waiting. But there is another, more important still. My position, Marian, towards you and towards Laura ought to be a stronger one than it is now. Before I try our last chance. She leaned near to me with a look of surprise. How can it be stronger? She asked. I will tell you, I replied, when the time comes. It has not come yet. It may never come at all. I may be silent about it to Laura forever. I must be silent now, even to you, till I see for myself that I can harmlessly and honourably speak. Let us leave that subject. There is another which has more pressing claims on our attention. You have kept Lauramercifully. Kept her in ignorance of her husband's death. Oh, Walter, surely it must be long yet before we tell her of it. No, Marian. Better that you should reveal it to her now than that accident which no one can guard against, should reveal it to her at some future time. Time spare her all the details. Break it to her very tenderly, but tell her that he is dead. You have a reason, Walter, for wishing her to know of her husband's death. Besides the reason you have just mentioned? I have a reason connected with that subject which must not be mentioned between us yet, which may never be mentioned to Laura at all. She dwelt on the last words meaningly. When I answered her in the affirmative, I dwelt on them too. So the closer connection that Walter is hoping for is that he might be able to marry Laura if her mental health improves. Her face grew pale for a while. She looked at me with a sad, hesitating interest. An unaccustomed tenderness trembled in her dark eyes and softened her firm lips. Lips as she glanced aside at the empty chair in which the dear companion of all our joys and sorrows had been sitting. I think I understand, she said. I think I owe it to her and to you, Walter, to tell her of her husband's death. She sighed and held my hand fast for a moment then dropped it abruptly and left the room. On the next day, Laura knew that his death had released her, and that the error and the calamity of her life lay buried in his tomb. His name was mentioned among us no more. Thenceforward we shrink from the slightest approach to the subject of his death, and in the same scrupulous manner, Marian and I avoided all further reference to that other subject which, by her consent and mine, was not to be mentioned between us yet, meaning the subject of whether Walter and Laura could ever one day get married. It was not the less present in our minds. It was rather kept alive in them by the restraint which we had imposed on ourselves. We both watched Laura more anxiously than ever, sometimes waiting and hoping, sometimes waiting and fearing, till the time came. By degrees we returned to our accustomed way of life. I resumed the daily work which had been suspended during my absence in Hampshire. Our new lodgings cost us more than the smaller and less convenient rooms which we had left, and the claim thus implied on my increased exertions was strengthened by the doubtfulness of our future prospects. Emergencies might yet happen which would exhaust our little fund at the banker's, and the work of my hands might be ultimately all we had to look to for support, more permanent and more lucrative employment than had yet been offered to me was a necessity of our position, a necessity for which I now diligently set myself to provide. It must not be supposed that the interval of rest and seclusion of which I am now writing entirely suspended on my part all pursuit of the one absorbing purpose with which my thoughts and actions are associated in these pages. That purpose was for months and months, yet never to relax its claims on me. The slow ripening of it still left me a measure of precaution to take, an obligation of gratitude to perform, and a doubtful question to solve. The measure of precaution related necessarily to the count. It was of the last importance to ascertain, if possible, whether his plans committed him to remaining in England, or, in other words, to remaining within my reach. I contrived to set this doubt at rest by very simple means. His address in St. John's Wood being known to me, I inquired in the neighbourhood, and having found out the agent who had the disposal of the furnaced house in which he lived, I asked if no. 5 Forest Road was likely to be let within a reasonable time. The reply was in the negative. I was informed that the foreign gentleman then residing in the house had renewed his term of occupation for another six months and would remain in possession until the end of June. In the following year we were then at the beginning of December. Only I left the agent with my mind relieved from all present fear of the count's escaping me. The obligation I had to perform took me once more into the presence of Mrs. Clements. I had promised to return and to confide to her those particulars relating to the death and burial of Anne Catherick, which I had been obliged to withhold told at our first interview, changed as circumstances now were, there was no hindrance to my trusting the good woman with as much of the story of the conspiracy as it was necessary to tell. I had every reason that sympathy and friendly feeling could suggest to urge on me the speedy performance of my promise, and I did conscientiously and carefully perform it. There is no need to burden these pages with any statement of what passed at the interview. It will be more to the purpose to say that the interview itself necessarily brought to my mind the one doubtful question still remaining to be solved. The question of Anne Catherick's parentage on the father's side. A multitude of small considerations in connection with this subject, trifling enough in themselves, but strikingly important when massed together, had latterly led my mind to a conclusion which I resolved to verify. I obtained Marian's permission to write to Major Donthorne of werneck hall, where Mrs. Catherick had lived in service for some years previous to her marriage, to ask him certain questions. I made the inquiries in Marian's name and described them as relating to matters of personal history in her family which might explain and excuse my application. When I wrote the letter, I had no certain knowledge that Major Donthorne was still alive. I dispatched it on the chance that he might be living and able and willing to reply. So he's writing to the man who employed Mrs. Catherick before her marriage to Mr. Catherick. After a lapse of two days, proof came in the shape of a letter that the Major was living and that he was ready to help us. The idea in my mind when I wrote to him, and the nature of my inquiries will be easily inferred from his reply. His letter answered my questions by communicating these important facts. In the first place, the late Sir Percival Glyde of Blackwater park had never set foot in Varneck hall, which tells us that Sir Percival was not Anne's father. The deceased gentleman was a total stranger to Major Donthorne and to all his family. In the second place, the late Mr. Philip Fairlie of Limmeridge House had been, in his younger days, the Intimate friend and constant guest of Major Donthorne. So Mr. Philip Fairley is Laura's father. Having refreshed his memory by looking back to old letters and other papers, the Major was in a position to say positively that Mr. Philip Fairley was staying at Varneck hall in the month of August, 1826, and that he remained there for the shooting during the month of September and part of October following. He then left, to the best of the Major's belief, for Scotland, and did not return to Varneck hall till after a lapse of time when he reappeared in the character of a newly married man. Taken by itself, this statement was perhaps of little positive value. But taken in connection with certain facts, every one of which either Marian or I knew to be true, it suggested one plain conclusion that was to our minds irresistible. Knowing now that Mr. Philip Fairley had been at Varneck hall in the autumn of 1826 and that Mrs. Catherick had been living there in service at the same time, we knew also, first, that Anne had been born in June, 1827. Secondly, that she had always presented an extraordinary personal resemblance to Laura, and thirdly, that Laura herself was strikingly like her father. Mr. Philip Fairlie had been one of the notoriously handsome men of his time. In disposition entirely unlike his brother Frederick, he was the spoilt darling of society, especially of the women. An easy, light hearted, impulsive, affectionate man, generous to a fault, constitutionally lax in his principles and notoriously thoughtless of moral obligations where women were concerned. Such were the facts we knew. Such was the character of the man. Surely the plain inference that follows needs no pointing out. Meaning that Laura's father, Philip Fairlie, was also Anne's father. Read by the new light which had now broken upon me. Even Mrs. Catherick's letter, in spite of herself, rendered its mite of assistance towards strengthening the conclusion at which I had arrived. Arrived? She had described Mrs. Fairley, in writing to me as plain looking and as having entrapped the handsomest man in England into marrying her. Both assertions were gratuitously made and both were false. Jealous dislike, which in such a woman as Mrs. Catherick would express itself in petty malice rather than not express itself at all, appeared to me to be the only assignable cause for the peculiar insolence of her reference to Mrs. Fairlie under circumstances which did not necessitate any reference at all. The mention here of Mrs. Fairlie's name naturally suggests one other. Did she ever suspect whose child the little girl brought to her at Limmeridge? Might be. Marian's testimony was positive on this point. Mrs. Fairlie's letter to her husband, which had been read to me in former days. The letter describing Anne's resemblance to Laura and acknowledging her affectionate interest in the little stranger had been written beyond all question in perfect innocence of heart. Meaning Mrs. Fairlie never knew that Anne was her husband's child. It even seemed doubtful on consideration whether Mr. Philip Fairlie himself had been nearer than his wife to any suspicion of the truth. The disgraceful, deceitful circumstances under which Mrs. Catherick had married. The purpose of concealment which the marriage was intended to answer might well keep her silent. For caution's sake perhaps. For her own pride's sake also. Even assuming that she had the means, in his absence, of communicating with the father of her unborn child. So it's possible that Mr. Fairlie even didn't know that Anne was his. As this surmise floated through my mind, there rose on memory the remembrance of the scripture, denunciation which we have all thought of in our time with wonder and with awe. The sins of the fathers shall be visited on the children. But for the fatal resemblance between the two daughters of one father, the conspiracy of which Anne had been the innocent instrument and Laura the innocent victim, could never have been planned. With what unerring and terrible directness the long chain of circumstances led down from the thoughtless wrong committed by the father to the heartless injury inflicted on the child. These thoughts came to me and others with them, which drew my mind away to the little Cumberland churchyard where Anne Catherick now lay buried. I thought of the bygone days when I had met her by Mrs. Fairlie's grave and met her for the last time. I thought of her poor helpless hands beating on the tombstone and her weary, yearning words murmured to the dead remains of her protectress and her friend. Oh, if I could die and be hidden and at rest with you. Little more than a year had passed.

[Unknown Host]

Since she breathed that wish.

[Faith Moore]

And how inscrutably, how awfully it had been fulfilled. The words she had spoken to Laura by the shores of the lake. The very words had now come true. Oh, if I could only be buried with your mother. If I could only wake at her side when the angel's trumpet sounds and the graves give up their dead at the resurrection. Through what mortal crime and horror, through what darkest windings of the way down to death the lost creature had wandered in God's leading to the last home that living she never hoped to reach. In that sacred rest I leave her in that dread companionship, let her remain undisturbed. So the ghostly figure which has haunted these pages, as it haunted my life, goes down into the impenetrable gloom. Like a shadow she first came to me in the loneliness of the night. Like a shadow she passes away in the loneliness the dead thank you so much for listening. I'd love to know what you thought of the chapters. Is there anything you'd like me to clarify? Did something particularly interest you? Please go to my website, faithkmoore.com, click on Contact and send me your questions and thoughts. Or you can click on the link in the Show Notes to contact me. Me. I'll feature one or two of your entries at the start of the next episode. Speaking of links, don't forget to take a look at the other links in the Show Notes. You can learn more about me, check out our merch store, or pick up one of my books. Before I go, I'd like to ask a quick favor. This is an independent podcast. It's produced, recorded and marketed by me, so I need your help. Spread the word about the show by posting about it on social media or texting a link to your friends. Subscribe, tap those five stars and leave a positive review wherever you're listening. If you are able to support the show financially, there's a link in the Show Notes to make a donation. I would really, really appreciate it. Alright everyone, story time is over. To be.