Maxim knows that Dr. Baker could reveal the secrets that Favell is looking for, exposing him as a murder. Mrs. de Winter and Maxim exchange looks, knowing that the end of their time together could be coming to an end. Favell, the de Winters, and Colonel Juylan work out their arrangements to go and see Dr. Baker in the morning. They decide that they will leave at 9 AM. Per Favell's request, Mrs. Danvers is to lock the two in their bed room and bedtime, and promptly unlock the room in the morning. At nine, they will meet and make the trip to go seek information from Dr. Baker. Favell insists on coming, but he shall only come if he is sober and if he follows behind. The rest of Chapter 25 is devoted to what, at the time, the couple thinks is there last moments together. They enjoy dinner together and then love each other like love-struck teens.
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The day of the visit to Dr. Baker, the de Winters get up as usual. Mrs. Danvers comes on time to unlock the door, and the couple gets ready. Mrs. de Winter really soaks up the beauty of the Manderley estate. She notices things that she hadn't quite noticed before, and absorbs everything Manderley has to offer. Promptly at nine AM, Maxim and Mrs. de Winter get in the car and head to the estate's gates where they meet Coronal Juylan. They make the long travel to London, and finally arrive at Dr. Baker's house. They inform Dr. Baker of their intentions and ask if he knows anything about Rebecca de Winter. He says that he doesn't recognize her name at all, but he will check with his books for the day and time that she supposedly was there. When he returns with his book, he realizes that he did see someone on that day, at that time, a Mrs. Danvers had an appointment.
The group was shocked to find out that Rebecca had used a fake name to go see the doctor under. Dr. Baker revealed that she was there once before and this appointment was a follow up. According to the doctor, he had examined her for a terminal illness. He had taken x-rays on her, and she was coming back to get the hard truth about her illness. Dr. Baker reveals that Rebecca was dying of cancer. He informed her on that day that there was no cure, and her pain would get progressively worse as time went on. He told her that the only treatment for her was morphia.
The doctor also reveals that there was something else wrong with Rebecca, something that they had discovered as a result of the x-rays: "The x-rays showed a certain malformation of the uterus, I remember, which meant she could never have a child..." (373). It seems as though this information could have destroyed Rebecca, and her death could, indeed have been planned if she wanted to. Her perfect pitched plan about having a heir for the Manderely estate was destroyed by this information given by Dr. Baker.
Maxim will escape! The information Dr. Baker gave is pertinent to the entire investigation, and completely disproves anything Favell says without proof. It gives her a motive. If it were to be pressed, the jury could rule that Rebecca was deathly depressed at the news that she could not have a child, or the fact that she was dying anyway. One could say that she ended her misery before it begun.
Vocabulary:
morphia (373)- old fashion term for morphine
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