The Old Wives' Tale

The narrative introduces a new character, Matthew Peel-Swynnerton, sitting at dinner in the Frensham Pension amid a long conversation with Mr. Mardon (a long-suffering prospective buyer of the pension). Matthew has a connection with Bursley, being one of Cyril Povey’s close friends. He knows the story of Cyril’s long-lost aunt, and during his brief interaction with Sophia, he puts the pieces together and realizes who she is. He returns to England and relates this information to Constance. She nearly swoons in the street, and when she recovers, Matthew describes the whole experience of meeting Sophia. Constance is filled with mixed emotions at the news:

It seemed to him that gladness should have filled the absurd little parlor, but the spirit that presided had no name; it certainly was not joy. […] He did not know ten thousand matters that were rushing violently about in the vast heart of Constance (477).

The chapter then shifts to the viewpoint of Sophia, back in Paris. She doesn’t know that her identity has been revealed, but she suspects the possibility, having realized Matthew’s Bursley connections. She begins to regret having stayed out of contact with her family for so long: “[S]he had been guilty of the capital folly of cutting herself off from her family.