The Mysteries of Udolpho

Emily Spares La Voisin a Troublesome Journey

Emily feels deep gratitude to La Voisin for his consistent kindness to both her and her late father, and is relieved when Madame Cheron’s servant makes La Voisin’s additional attendance unnecessary, sparing the elderly man a long, difficult journey given his age.

Convent Life Tempts Emily to Religious Retirement

The tranquil peace of convent life, the beauty of the surrounding scenery, and the warm, gentle attentions of the abbess and nuns nearly tempt Emily to take religious vows and retreat to the cloister, especially as the convent holds St. Aubert’s tomb. But revived memories of Valancourt, faint visions of future happiness, and St. Aubert’s high regard for the young man draw her back to the secular world as her low spirits lift.

Farewell to La Voisin and His Family

Several days after Madame Cheron’s servant arrives, Emily visits La Voisin’s cottage to say goodbye, finding the old man seated with his daughter, son-in-law, and young grandsons having a simple evening meal. The idyllic, familiar scene recalls her father so sharply that she makes a quick, emotional farewell, declining to enter the cottage to spare herself further distress.

Midnight Visit to St. Aubert’s Grave

The night before her departure, Emily visits St. Aubert’s grave at midnight, accompanied only by a lamp provided by a nun. After a brief moment of superstitious fear at a perceived shadow in the church, she reaches his plain marble grave, weeps a final farewell, and leaves when the monks’ morning prayer bell sounds. The visit brings her a rare sense of peace, and she sleeps more soundly than she has since her father’s death.

Departure from the Convent and Journey to Gascony

When the time comes to leave the convent, Emily grieves to part from the abbess, the nuns, and the sacred ground holding her father’s remains. She travels through Languedoc, her melancholy deepened by memories of her father on the same routes, before entering Gascony.

Approach to La Vallée and Paternal Grief

As Emily nears La Vallée, familiar landmarks of the Pyrenees, the pine woods, and a remote mountain cottage remind her of her father’s remarks and their final journey together. She weeps at the memories, but draws on his teachings about enduring sorrow with reason to steady herself as the château comes into view.

Arrival at La Vallée Château

Emily arrives at La Vallée to be greeted by her father’s long-serving housekeeper Theresa and his dog Manchon, who had been waiting faithfully for St. Aubert’s return. Theresa’s raw grief and Manchon’s confused search for his master overwhelm Emily with renewed sorrow.

Grief in St. Aubert’s Former Rooms

Emily enters her former bedroom, where every object—her father’s taught plants, her own drawings, their shared books, and his beloved musical instruments—rekindles her grief. After a long period of mourning, she gathers her resolve to visit the rooms her father used, starting with the library.

Discovery of St. Aubert’s Open Book in the Library

In the dim, solemn library, Emily sits in her father’s old armchair and finds his favourite book open on the reading desk, left exactly as he had it when he read passages from it to her the night before his final departure from La Vallée. She weeps over the sacred relic of their last time together, too overcome to move the book, as she recalls their final conversations before his death.

CHAPTER VIII

This is Chapter 8 (chapter index 7) of the work, titled “CHAPTER VIII”. The chapter is divided into 3 total fragments, and this is the 3rd (final) fragment of the chapter. The fragment chronicles Emily’s evening at the château after her father’s death, including a brief moment of supernatural fear, a reflective walk to the riverside terrace, encounters with painful memories of her late parents, a conversation with the household housekeeper Theresa, and her eventual retreat to her room, overcome by grief.

Nocturnal Fears

While sitting in a dim room, Emily is startled by a rustling noise and a perceived moving figure in the dusk, triggering a sudden, irrational fear of the supernatural. She quickly rebukes herself for the fear, before realizing the figure is her dog Manchon, who sits beside her and licks her hands affectionately.