The Tenant of Wildfell Hall · Chapter
XXXVIII explained
Lord Lowborough discovers his wife Annabella's infidelity with Arthur Huntingdon.
What happens
Lord Lowborough discovers his wife Annabella's infidelity with Arthur Huntingdon. He confronts Helen about her concealment of the affair, and departs with Annabella the next morning. Huntingdon mocks Lowborough's anguish, while Helen reflects on the pain of betrayal and her own complicity in silence.
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 Falling action.
- Setup
- Escalation
- Breaking point
- Aftermath
- Closing
This excerpt marks the dramatic climax because it reveals the emotional and psychological nadir of the marriag…
Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.
Follow the arc while readingThemes in this chapter
- Hypocrisy and Social Judgment
Huntingdon mocks Lowborough's pain while flaunting his own betrayal, revealing the hypocrisy of male privilege in marital infidelity.
- Female Agency and Independence
Helen grapples with her moral agency in choosing silence, and later regrets her complicity, highlighting the limited power of women to act.
- Alcoholism and Dissipation
The scene is set among a dissipated social circle where Huntingdon, Hattersley, and Grimsby revel in cruelty and moral decay.
Characters to notice
- Lord Lowborough
Discovers his wife's infidelity, struggles with suicidal thoughts, and confronts Helen about her silence.
- Helen Huntingdon
Witnesses Lowborough's anguish, feels guilt for not revealing the affair, and reflects on her own marital misery.
- Arthur Huntingdon
Openly mocks Lowborough, boasts of the affair, and expresses relief at Annabella's departure.
- Annabella Wilmot
Struggles to maintain composure before leaving, feigning cheerfulness while concealing her guilt.
- Ralph Hattersley
Rails against Lowborough's weakness, part of the group mocking him.
- Frank Grimsby
Chuckles with fiendish satisfaction at Lowborough's downfall.
Key passages
“I call that an unchristian spirit now,' said the villain. 'But I'd never give up an old friend for the sake of a wife. You may have mine if you like, and I call that handsome; I can do no more than offer restitution, can I?'”
Huntingdon mockingly calls Lowborough's anger unchristian, offering to let him have Helen as a replacement for Annabella.
Highlights Huntingdon's callousness and the dehumanizing view of wives as exchangeable property.
“I have so long been aware of—' I paused in time, and added, 'of my husband's character, that nothing shocks me.'”
Helen nearly admits she knew of the affair but stops herself, instead saying she is used to her husband's bad character.
Shows Helen's internal conflict and her attempt to protect Lowborough from further pain.
“O God, that I might die!'—and felt that to add one drop of bitterness to that already overflowing cup would be ungenerous indeed.”
Lowborough wishes for death in his anguish, and Helen resolves not to add to his suffering.
Illustrates Lowborough's despair and Helen's empathy despite her own pain.
