The Mysteries of Udolpho

Anxious Conjectures

Anxious Conjectures

With the return of her recollection, Emily’s strength returns and she hurries toward the house, not venturing to enquire who had been in the gardens for fear of betraying her emotion. She sits alone, trying to recollect the figure, air, and features of the person she has just seen, but her view had been so transient and the gloom so deep that she can remember nothing with exactness. The general appearance of his figure and his abrupt departure confirm her belief that the person was Valancourt, though at times she suspects her fancy, preoccupied with his idea, has suggested his image to her uncertain sight. If it were indeed he, she wonders how he should be at Thoulouse and how he gained admittance to the garden. Her impatience to enquire is restrained by an unwillingness to betray her doubts, and the evening is passed in anxious conjecture. A thousand inconsistent emotions assail her—now dreading it to be true, now fearing it to be false—while she constantly tries to persuade herself that she wishes the person not to be Valancourt, and her heart as constantly contradicts her reason.

CHAPTER X

Chapter X depicts Emily’s final days at Thoulouse, where she is tormented by uncertainty over a mysterious figure in the garden who she suspects to be Valancourt. After receiving condoling visits from neighbors, Emily grows anxious and eventually falls ill from suspense. The chapter concludes with her preparations to depart for La Vallée and an emotional farewell to the terrace and pavilion.

The Neighboring Visitors

The Neighboring Visitors

The day following Emily’s inheritance is occupied by visits from several neighboring families, formerly intimate with Madame Montoni. They come to condole Emily on Madame Montoni’s death, congratulate her on her acquisition of the estates, and inquire about Montoni and the strange reports concerning Emily’s situation. Their decorum is matched by the composure with which they depart.

Reflections on Wealth

Reflections on Wealth

Emily is wearied by these formalities and disgusted by the subservient manners of many visitors who had previously considered her scarcely worthy of attention when she was believed to be a dependent of Madame Montoni. She reflects on the strange magic of wealth, observing that a fool or knave with riches commands more respect than a good or wise man living in poverty.

Dread of the Garden

Dread of the Garden

When evening finally brings solitude, Emily wishes to refresh her spirits in the garden but fears encountering the mysterious person she saw the previous night, suspecting it might be Valancourt. Though her secret wish to see him again, unseen, powerfully prompts her to go, prudence and delicate pride restrain her. She determines to avoid the gardens for several days to prevent any chance encounter.

Annette’s Tale of the Robber

Annette’s Tale of the Robber

After nearly a week, Emily ventures into the garden with Annette as a companion, confining her walk to the lower grounds. She starts at every rustle of leaves and looks apprehensively around each turn. Eventually Annette, unable to bear the silence, tells Emily of a robber spotted in the garden two nights prior by the gardener Jean, who saw a man walking in the avenue at midnight and leaning over the garden gate.

The Gardener’s Shot

The Gardener’s Shot

According to Annette, Jean fetched his gun and watched from the court. When the man opened the gate and entered, Jean called out to demand his business, but the man refused to answer and retreated into the garden. Jean then fired after him with bullets. The following morning, Jean found a track of blood but no body, suggesting the wounded man had been carried off by his comrades.

Emily’s Swoon

Emily’s Swoon

Emily, deeply alarmed by Annette’s account, has her spirits fail her so completely that she would have fallen to the ground had Annette not caught her and supported her to a nearby bench. After a long absence, her senses return and she is led to her apartment, where she is too ill to dare learning more about the incident.