The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Triumph of the Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy.

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Chapter 1
I: “The Everlasting Stars Look Down, Like Glistening Eyes Bright with Immortal Pity, Over the Lot of Man.”
The chapter opens with a reflection on the French Revolution's descent from ideals of liberty into a brutal tyranny under Robespierre, who has consolidated absolute power after eliminating rivals like Danton and Hébert. It describes the pervasive terror, the overcrowded prisons, and the mass executions of nobles, clergy, and innocents, while the populace clamors for more blood. Robespierre stands as an invulnerable, sphinx-like dictator, feared and worshipped, with the Committees and Convention subservient to his will.
Chapter 2
I
The chapter depicts the chaotic aftermath of Robespierre's arrest, with the Convention adjourning, Tallien seeking Theresia in vain, and the city descending into confusion as Henriot attempts to rescue Robespierre while tumbrils carry victims to the guillotine amid public outcry.
Chapter 3
II
Marguerite Blakeney, imprisoned in an attic on the Rue de la Planchette, overhears the agitation of her jailers and strains to catch fragments of conversation. She distinguishes the Captain of the Guard's impatience and Chauvelin's cold certainty that the Englishman will come by the fourth day, confirming her fears that death awaits both her and her husband.
Chapter 4
Feet of Clay
Robespierre consults the mystic Mother Théot, who warns him of a scarlet flower—the Scarlet Pimpernel—that threatens his life. Chauvelin later meets with Théot, plotting to use Theresia Cabarrus to trap the English spy, offering ten thousand livres for her cooperation.
Chapter 5
I
The chapter depicts the chaotic aftermath of Robespierre's arrest, with the Convention adjourning, Tallien seeking Theresia in vain, and the city descending into confusion as Henriot attempts to rescue Robespierre while tumbrils carry victims to the guillotine amid public outcry.

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I: “The Everlasting Stars Look Down, Like Glistening Eyes Bright with Immortal Pity, Over the Lot of Man.”

I

II

Feet of Clay

I