The Secret Tomb · Chapter
IX: Face to Face explained
Dorothy finds herself face to face with d'Estreicher, who captures her and retrieves the disc she had hidden.
What happens
Dorothy finds herself face to face with d'Estreicher, who captures her and retrieves the disc she had hidden. She manages to throw it into a pool to buy time, but d'Estreicher recovers it. In a tense confrontation, Dorothy reveals that the disc is a decoy—the real medal is hidden in Goliath's collar. She has been stalling for Raoul and the detectives to arrive. D'Estreicher binds her and prepares to flee, but Dorothy's laughter at his confusion unnerves him.
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
- Closing
Dorothy’s psychological peak occurs when she realizes her bluff is failing—d’Estreicher sees through the illus…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Intelligence and Intuition
Dorothy's clever ruse with the decoy disc and her stalling tactics demonstrate her sharp intellect and intuitive understanding of d'Estreicher's greed.
- Good Versus Evil
The direct confrontation between Dorothy (good) and d'Estreicher (evil) highlights the moral struggle, with Dorothy's courage pitted against d'Estreicher's brutality.
- Resilience and Courage
Despite being captured and struck, Dorothy remains defiant, laughing at d'Estreicher and maintaining hope for rescue.
Characters to notice
- Dorothy
Captured by d'Estreicher, she uses her wits to stall for time, revealing the disc is a decoy and the real medal is in Goliath's collar.
- D'Estreicher
Retrieves the disc, captures Dorothy, and is outwitted by her revelation that the medal is not in the case.
- Baron Saint-Quentin
Mentioned as having kept the medal within reach, with Goliath's collar as the hiding place.
- Raoul Davernoie
Expected to arrive with detectives; Dorothy's plan relies on his timely intervention.
- Goliath
The dog whose collar holds the real medal, as revealed by Dorothy.
- Juliet Assire
Referenced as having been tortured by d'Estreicher, leading to Dorothy's trap.
Key passages
“If they seize me... there's nothing to be done. Before I could be rescued, they would carry me off to their underground lair, and from there I don't know where!”
Dorothy realizes that if captured, she will be taken to d'Estreicher's hidden underground hideout with no chance of rescue.
Dorothy's internal fear and realization of the stakes.
“She went quickly into the house and pushed the disc under a heap of discarded things in a small lumber-room. The necessary hunt for it would delay for a while the enemy's flight.”
Dorothy hides the disc in a pile of junk to buy time and slow down d'Estreicher's escape.
Dorothy's strategic thinking to delay capture.
“I was laughing because of the plates... Those which form the case of the medal... They're the plates of Dorothy's Circus. I used to juggle with them.”
Dorothy reveals that the disc is a fake, made from old circus juggling plates, and the real medal is elsewhere.
Dorothy's clever deception to outwit d'Estreicher.
