Sir Percy Hits Back · Chapter
IX explained
Fleurette flees the château after the arrest, carrying Madame's valuables.
What happens
Fleurette flees the château after the arrest, carrying Madame's valuables. She seeks shelter at the widow Tronchet's cottage, where she encounters Adèle and the disapproving widow. Fleurette asks Adèle to secretly deliver a message to Amédé, fearing her father Bibi (Chauvelin) might discover her secret.
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 it marks the emotional and psychological peak of the antagonists’ realizat…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Class and Social Division
The widow Tronchet's bitter resentment of the Frontenacs' luxury and her harsh treatment of Fleurette underscore the deep class divides in revolutionary France.
- Innocence and Corruption
Fleurette's naive trust in Adèle and the widow contrasts with their furtive, calculating behavior, hinting at the corruption that threatens her innocence.
Characters to notice
- Fleurette
Fleurette flees the château with Madame's casket and wallet, seeks shelter at the widow Tronchet's, and asks Adèle to secretly contact Amédé.
- Adèle
Adèle encounters Fleurette at the cottage, observes her hidden valuables with a furtive smile, and agrees to deliver a message to Amédé.
- Ma'ame Tronchet
The hard-hearted widow Tronchet disapproves of Fleurette, resents her privileged life, and turns out the lamp to force her to leave.
- Amédé Colombe
Amédé is mentioned as the intended recipient of Fleurette's secret message, delivered via Adèle.
- Bibi
Bibi (Chauvelin) is observed riding with the soldiers; Fleurette worries he might discover her secret.
Key passages
“Fleurette was too young, too ignorant for self-analysis. She could not have told you what had made her act in the way she did, nor what had caused her so to mistrust Bibi as not to share her precious secret with him.”
Fleurette, young and inexperienced, could not explain why she instinctively hid her secret from Bibi.
Highlights Fleurette's lack of self-awareness and her intuitive mistrust of Bibi.
“The widow Tronchet shrugged her shoulders and gave a short, harsh laugh. 'I'm not thinking about it at all one way or the other,' she said dryly. 'What difference does it make to us poor people,' she went on, grumbling, 'what happens to all those aristos? They never cared what happened to us.'”
The widow Tronchet dismisses Fleurette's concern for Monsieur, expressing bitter indifference and resentment toward the aristocracy.
Illustrates the class resentment and lack of sympathy for the arrested aristocrats among the peasantry.
“Fleurette felt the blood rush up to her cheeks, and then had the mortification of seeing Adèle's pinched-up little face break into a smile. Of what were those two women thinking? Surely not that she, Fleurette, had been stealing.”
Fleurette blushes with shame, fearing that Adèle and the widow suspect her of theft.
Shows Fleurette's anxiety and the suspicious atmosphere surrounding her hidden valuables.
