St. Leon decides to take the stranger in, mainly because he is tempted by what the stranger will give him. He says “I considered my honor as pledged for the protection of the man…” but his intentions are to find out what the stranger has and knows, which will give him recognition and wealth again. He is upset when he finds that he can’t tell his family or anyone else what the secrets are but in the eleventh chapter the reader is given the impression that Reginald will reject the strangers’ offer in favor of being happy with his family. The next chapter sees him trying to wheedle the information out of the stranger. This guy just doesn’t know what he wants unless it is to benefit him!
This trend continues when the Bishop’s officers show up and he denies knowing anything about the guy. He could get into a lot of trouble by harboring a fugitive, but if it is for his honor and maybe some wealth too, oh well. He couldn’t get the information out of the stranger but maybe he can get some information out of the officers? Marguerite, of course, is very upset about this situation. When Reginald consoles her, she backs off and in essence says, “Hey, this is your secret, keep it if you want, I’m just your wife. ” It is a very uncaring husband who continues to keep his secrets so that he can bring honor and wealth to himself again. He continues to put forth the excuse that this is for his family also, but with his addiction to gambling, his past history, and his obsession with ‘honor’ and recognition, this is just a facade. There is foreshadowing in each of these chapters: the questions of little Marguerite, Reginald’s decision to reject the offer and then changing his mind, and the fact that the stranger had this information but never used it. Is this a foreshadowing of Reginald’s use (or non use) of the same information?
Reginald’s plans are addicting to him and all he can think about is what he will do with his new wealth. He does realize deep down that it’s causing strain on the family but he doesn’t seem to be able to pull himself to reality or maybe he just doesn’t want to.
Literature Rocks 