The Mysteries of Udolpho

CHAPTER VI

This chapter (titled CHAPTER VI) traces Emily’s tense journey through a remote mountain glen with her conductors Ugo and Bertrand, documenting her escalating terror as she learns of Bertrand’s murderous past, suspects Montoni has sent the men to kill her to seize her estates, and faces an approaching thunderstorm as the group enters dark, overhanging woods.

Proposal to Alight in the Glen

Ugo proposes the group alight in the glen before nightfall, warning that wolves will make travel dangerous after dark.

Emily’s Fear of Her Conductors

Emily is more alarmed by the prospect of being stranded at midnight with her two rough conductors than the wolf threat, and is plagued by dark suspicions of Montoni’s purpose for sending her to the remote location. She tries to dissuade the men from stopping and anxiously asks how much further they have to travel.

Supper at the Cliff Base

Bertrand replies they have many leagues left to go, and insists the group stop under a nearby cliff overhung with cedars to eat a hearty supper before continuing their journey. They turn the mules off the road, lift Emily from her mule, and share homely fare at the cliff base; Emily eats a small amount to disguise her fear.

Twilight Over the Western Mountains

The sun sinks behind the high western mountains, a purple haze spreads across the sky, and twilight falls over the surrounding landscape. The low, sullen breeze moving through the woods no longer brings Emily pleasure, instead amplifying the wild, oppressive mood of the scene and deepening her low spirits.

Discussion of Signor Orsino

Emily’s anxiety about the prisoner at Udolpho leads her to question Bertrand about the prisoner in Ugo’s presence, though Ugo pretends to be entirely ignorant of the stranger. The conversation shifts to Signor Orsino and the affair that banished him from Venice, and Emily asks a few cautious questions; Ugo claims to know minute, shocking particulars of the assassination, details Emily realizes only someone present at the crime would know.

Bertrand’s Tale of Orsino’s Vendetta

Bertrand tells the story of Orsino’s vendetta: Orsino loved a Milanese lady who rejected his affections to marry a Milanese cavaliero. Enraged, Orsino tracked the couple on their journey to Padua, had his men ambush their carriage in a remote mountain hollow, fire on the party, and kill the cavaliero with three stillettos; the lady escaped when her servants heard the gunfire and arrived before she could be captured.

Revelation of Bertrand’s Murderous Past

Emily is horrified when Bertrand accidentally reveals he was the accomplice given a purse of gold by Orsino for his role in the assassination, confirming he is a murderer. Her terror spikes as she realizes she is isolated with him and Ugo in the remote wilderness as night falls.

Emily’s Terror of Montoni’s Plot

Emily suspects the men were commissioned by Montoni to murder her, allowing him to seize her estates without opposition. Though she briefly wonders why Montoni did not kill her closer to the castle, her fear is overwhelming, and she dares not show her terror to her conductors; their grim, shadowed countenances in the gloom confirm her worst fears.

Travel Through the Gloomy Glen

After finishing their supper, the men collect their belongings and lead the mules along the winding, dark glen in silence. Emily muses on Montoni’s motives, believing he intends to either kill her immediately or keep her hidden for a more terrible, vengeful plot, recalling Signor Brochio’s strange behavior in the castle corridors as evidence of Montoni’s dark designs. She compares her terrifying situation to the peace of her early life, sometimes wondering if her fear is making her hallucinate, and eventually becomes so despondent she no longer reacts to the gloomy landscape around her.

Lightning Omen and Storm Warning

It is nearly fully dark, heavy thunderclouds tinged with sulphureous crimson linger in the west, and lightning flashes frequently across the sky. Bertrand notices a tapering flame on the tip of his pike, which Emily initially believes is a superstitious omen of her fate, until Ugo explains it is a natural sign of an approaching thunderstorm. Ugo struggles to find a flint to light their torch as thunder rumbles in the distance and lightning illuminates the treetops.