The Castle of Otranto
Chapter II
by Horace Walpole
There is news of the Princess’s death.
There is news of the Princess’s death.
On the day before Christmas a man is caught in a fight and looses a goose and his hat. Sherlock Holmes is trying to figure out who the hat belongs to, when a blue carbuncle is found in the goose.
The discovery of a secret arrangement is followed by unexpected tragedy.
Svidrigailov visits Sonia, assuring her that her family will be taken care of. After a series of strange dreams, a dazed Svidrigailov uses Dunya's revolver to take his own life.
Mrs. Michelson is sent away on a hopeless errand. Upon her return, she and Laura are informed that Marian has left for Limmeridge house. Laura embarks in pursuit of her sister. Mrs. Michelson is made aware of the extent of Sir Percival's deceit.
Carol and Will have their first argument. Will complains about Carol's "highbrow" attitude, and the effect is it having on his personal and professional relationships.
Peggotty takes David to Yarmouth where he meets his nephew and niece. Before returning home, Peggotty tells David of his mothers marriage.
Phoebe and Holgrave bring the once dead garden back to life. She and Clifford often stroll the gardens to lift his spirits. Hepzibah begins arranging sunday afternoon lunches with Phoebe, Clifford, Holgrave, and Uncle Venner. For once, Clifford seems animated.
Joseph flees as rumors of defeat spread. Peggy and Amelia care for the wounded. George's time at war ends.
The narrator experiences tragedy, but is reunited with his love through an unconventional occurrence.
A down-on-his-luck man seeks a long-lost treasure and finds wealth and happiness.
Essentially homeless, Jurgis runs into a woman who attended his wedding and is given Marija's address. Jurgis visits Marija right before the police arrive to raid the house. Jurgis learns that Marija has been working as a prostitute and is addicted to morphine. Jurgis is arrested again.
Jane’s driver is late picking her up from the station at Millcote. When she finally arrives at Thornfield it is nighttime. Although she cannot distinguish much of the house’s facade from among the shadows, she finds the interior “cosy and agreeable.” Mrs. Fairfax, a prim, elderly woman, is waiting for Jane. It turns out that Mrs. Fairfax is not, as Jane had assumed from their correspondence, the owner of Thornfield, but rather the housekeeper. Thornfield’s owner, Mr. Rochester, travels regularly and leaves much of the manor’s management to Mrs. Fairfax. Jane learns that she will be tutoring Adèle, an eight-year-old French girl whose mother was a singer and dancer. Mrs. Fairfax also tells Jane about Rochester, saying that he is an eccentric man whose family has a history of extreme and violent behavior. Suddenly, Jane hears a peal of strange, eerie laughter echoing through the house, and Mrs. Fairfax summons someone named Grace, whom she orders to make less noise and to “remember directions.” When Grace leaves, Mrs. Fairfax explains that she is a rather unbalanced and unpredictable seamstress who works in the house.
Heathcliff returns to Thrushcross Grange a few months after Catherine and Edgar were married. While Heathcliff stays at Wuthering Heights, Catherine and Isabella visit him; Isabella falls for Heathcliff in the process.
A few abandoned items, which include a pair of broken binoculars and a notebook, are found by a farmhand. The notebook has some macabre commentary, but is incomplete because it is missing the first few pages. It has been studied and it appears to have remnants of blood.
Preparations for Jane and Rochester’s wedding do not run smoothly. Mrs. Fairfax treats Jane coldly because she doesn’t realize that Jane was already engaged to Rochester when she allowed him to kiss her. But even after she learns the truth, Mrs. Fairfax maintains her disapproval of the marriage. Jane feels unsettled, almost fearful, when Rochester calls her by what will soon be her name, Jane Rochester. Jane explains that everything feels impossibly ideal, like a fairy-tale or a daydream. Rochester certainly tries to turn Jane into a Cinderella-like figure: he tells her he will dress her in jewels and in finery befitting her new social station, at which point Jane becomes terrified and self-protective. She has a premonitory feeling that the wedding will not happen, and she decides to write her uncle, John Eyre, who is in Madeira. Jane reasons that if John Eyre were to make her his heir, her inheritance might put her on more equal footing with Rochester, which would make her feel less uncomfortable about the marriage.
A banker makes a very big loan to a prominent customer and receives a beryl coronet to hold. He discovers his son trying to harm it and he has a case against him when he begs for the expert help of Sherlock Holmes.
A man in desperate need of money contacts his eccentric cousin in hopes of borrowing it from him. Although his cousin is friendly, the wife is unwelcoming. However, nothing can prepare him for his encounter with the Brazilian Cat that is ferocious.
Abbe teaches Dantes all he knows, and the two form a plot for escape.
David travels to Yarmouth to visit Peggotty. While in London, David runs into an old acquaintance.
The Achaeans once again have the upper hand. Hector and Paris prepare to re-enter the field of battle.
Jurgis pleads Marija to quit the brothel, but she refuses. Jurgis attends a Socialist Party function the day before nationwide election. Election results show promise for the socialist movement.
Marlow recounts his journey up the Congo River to the narrator and his fellow travelers.