The Sea Mystery · Chapter
XIV: French Turns Fisherman explained
Inspector French confronts Colonel Domlio about his suspicious behavior on the night of the murder.
What happens
Inspector French confronts Colonel Domlio about his suspicious behavior on the night of the murder. Domlio claims he was out collecting butterflies and lost a valuable miniature of his late wife. French, unconvinced, investigates Domlio's estate and discovers evidence that the old well's grating has been recently disturbed. He returns with Sergeant Daw at night to fish the well, recovering a waterlogged coat with a tailor's label from Newton Abbot.
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
- Aftermath
- Closing
In this excerpt, the emotional and psychological peak occurs as French endures hours of tense, cold, and frust…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Deception and Secrecy
Colonel Domlio initially denies being out on the night of the murder, then offers a story about butterfly collecting and a lost miniature.
- Murder and Investigation
French methodically tests Domlio's alibi and searches for physical evidence, culminating in fishing the well.
Characters to notice
- Inspector French
Confronts Colonel Domlio, investigates the well at Torview, and recovers a coat from the water.
- Colonel Domlio
Claims he was out collecting butterflies and lost a miniature; denies being out on the night of the murder.
- Sergeant Daw
Assists French in the nighttime fishing expedition at the well.
- Coombe
Mentioned as not having heard the car on the night of the tragedy.
- Mee
Mentioned as not having heard the car on the night of the tragedy.
Key passages
“My word would not be believed, nor Mrs. Berlyn’s, neither, if she were dragged into it. I thought, at all events, I had better keep secret a mysterious excursion which might easily be misunderstood.”
Domlio claims he kept his nocturnal trip secret because he feared it would be misinterpreted and that neither his word nor Mrs. Berlyn's would be trusted.
Domlio's explanation for his initial deception.
“The crossbars of the grating were secured by mortar into niches cut in the stone. All of these bore signs of recent movement.”
French noticed that the mortar holding the well's grating had been recently disturbed, suggesting the cover had been moved.
Key physical clue that leads French to search the well.
“In the breast pocket was a letter case containing papers, but it was impossible to read anything they bore. A pipe, a tobacco pouch, a box of matches, and a handkerchief were in the other pockets.”
The coat recovered from the well contained a letter case with illegible papers, plus a pipe, tobacco pouch, matches, and a handkerchief.
Contents of the coat fished from the well.
