Man and Wife · Chapter
X: Mr. Bishopriggs explained
Arnold Brinkworth and Anne Silvester, stranded at an inn during a storm, are forced to pose as husband and wife to avoid scandal.
What happens
Arnold Brinkworth and Anne Silvester, stranded at an inn during a storm, are forced to pose as husband and wife to avoid scandal. The landlady, Mistress Inchbare, presses Anne to confirm the relationship, and Anne reluctantly agrees. Mr. Bishopriggs, the waiter, adds comic and intrusive commentary, while news arrives that Sir Patrick Lundie is approaching the inn, causing alarm. Anne fears the consequences of the deception, especially for Blanche.
Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.
Narrative arc
Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Exposition.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This is the dramatic climax because the narrator reaches an absolute emotional and psychological nadir, declar…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Betrayal and Deception
Anne and Arnold's forced deception—pretending to be married—creates a web of lies that threatens to unravel, especially with Sir Patrick's arrival.
- Hypocrisy of Society
Mistress Inchbare's insistence on marital status to protect the inn's reputation reflects societal hypocrisy that prioritizes appearances over truth.
Characters to notice
- Anne Silvester
Forced to pose as Arnold's wife under pressure from the landlady; anxious and resentful of the deception.
- Arnold Brinkworth
Improvises the husband-and-wife ruse to protect Anne's reputation; tries to keep up appearances.
- Mr. Bishopriggs
The waiter who intrudes with comic familiarity, delays the dinner, and delivers news of Sir Patrick's arrival.
- Mistress Inchbare
The landlady who insists on verifying Anne's marital status to protect the inn's reputation.
- Sir Patrick Lundie
Mentioned as approaching the inn, causing alarm for Anne and Arnold.
Key passages
“White and cold, her eyes never moving from the table, she accepted the landlady’s implied correction, and faintly repeated the words: “My husband.””
Anne, pale and frozen, stared at the table and quietly echoed the landlady's phrase, 'My husband,' without looking up.
Highlights Anne's reluctant submission to the deception under social pressure.
““A curse seems to follow me!” she thought, bitterly. “This will end ill—and I shall be answerable for it!””
Anne bitterly felt that misfortune dogged her, and she feared the situation would end badly, with her bearing the blame.
Reveals Anne's growing dread and sense of personal responsibility for the unfolding complications.
““Eh! it’s joost addin’ ten years to the age o’ the wine. The turtledoves will be nane the waur—and I mysel’ am a glass o’ sherry the better. Praise Providence for a’ its maircies!””
Mr. Bishopriggs justified watering down the sherry by claiming it aged the wine, while he himself enjoyed a glass, thanking Providence.
Illustrates Mr. Bishopriggs's comic dishonesty and self-serving nature.
