Miss Mole · Chapter
XXV explained
On Christmas Eve, Hannah Mole lies awake reflecting on her past, her childhood Christmases on the farm, and the consequences of her recent cruelty to Robert Corder.
What happens
On Christmas Eve, Hannah Mole lies awake reflecting on her past, her childhood Christmases on the farm, and the consequences of her recent cruelty to Robert Corder. She feels remorse for betraying Mrs. Corder's secret about Mr. Samson and worries about how Robert will punish her. She longs for the country life she left behind and thinks about the cottage she still owns. When she is discovered in the study by Robert, they have a tense exchange about the past and the future.
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 Rising action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Closing
This excerpt marks the story's dramatic climax because Ruth’s secret excursion with Wilfrid represents the pea…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Loneliness and the Search for Connection
Hannah lies awake feeling isolated, longing for the warmth of family and country life, and reflecting on her past relationships.
- Truth, Deception, and Moral Ambiguity
Hannah grapples with guilt over revealing Mrs. Corder's secret to Robert, questioning her own morality and the consequences of her actions.
- Identity and Self-Perception
Hannah reflects on her past selves—the girl on the farm, the dependent housekeeper—and wonders who she has become.
Characters to notice
- Miss Hannah Mole
Hannah lies awake on Christmas Eve, reflecting on her past and feeling remorse for her cruelty to Robert Corder. She longs for the country life and thinks about her cottage.
- Robert Corder
Robert returns home and finds Hannah in his study. He rebukes her indirectly and reminds her about the chapel waits.
- Mrs. Corder
Hannah imagines Mrs. Corder's reproachful look after betraying her secret about Mr. Samson.
- Mr. Pilgrim
Hannah thinks about Mr. Pilgrim, the man who occupied her cottage and with whom she had a past relationship.
- Father
Hannah recalls her father and the farm hands moving about the yard on Christmas mornings.
Key passages
“the cruelty she had inflicted on Robert Corder was the first deliberately unkind thing she had ever done, and it had shocked her into a humility she sadly lacked”
Hannah realizes that her cruel revelation to Robert was the first intentional harm she has caused, and it forces her to confront her own lack of humility.
Hannah's remorse over her actions toward Robert.
“She would have been too much occupied to be spiteful, and instead of kneeling in front of Robert Corder’s fire she would have been busy at her own”
Hannah thinks that if she had stayed on the farm, she would have been too busy to be spiteful and would be tending her own hearth instead.
Hannah's nostalgia for the country life she left behind.
“It was hers, yet she could not see nor touch it.”
The cottage belongs to Hannah, but she is unable to visit or physically connect with it.
Hannah's longing for her property and the life it represents.
