The chapter opens with Mrs. de Winter waking up late in the morning. She hadn't gone to bed until seven in the morning, as she was up late with the ball. She realizes that Maxim never came to bed the night before which destroys her. She recalls the night, and suffers agonizing mental pain from all that had happened the night before. She reflects on her relationship with Maxim, and starts to believe that all that everyone else was saying about her was true: Maxim didn't really love her. She realizes that she inevitably cannot ever replace what Rebecca once was, which destroys her. She finds a letter from Beatrice under the door, saying that they had left and to wish only the best to Maxim. She goes down to breakfast and finds that Maxim isn't home. She cannot find him, even after asking Robert. Thus, she makes a call to Frank, asking if Maxim is with him, or if he has saw him. Mrs. de Winter looses control and lets her emotions overturn the conversation with him, saying that Max has never really loved her, rather only Rebecca.
"She was not dead, like Rebecca. I could speak to her, but I could not speak to Rebecca" (244).
Mrs. de Winter goes outside an observes her surroundings. A thick fog (possibly foreshadowing something not so great) starts to overcome the property. Through the fog, she sees Mrs. Danvers in the West Wing watching her. She decides that she is going to go up and confront her and so she does. When she walks in, she sees that Mrs. Danvers has been crying, and asks her why. Mrs. Danvers explains how she is so angered that Mrs. de Winter thinks it's okay for her to come and take Rebecca place. Mrs. de Winter rebuts by saying that she has left everything the way it was when Rebecca was alive, and has done nothing to change. She also says that Rebecca comes back and haunts Mr. de Winter for finding someone ten short months after she had passed!
Mrs. Danvers and Mrs. de Winter continue to argue about Rebecca and their feelings toward her. Finally, Mrs. Davers grabs Mrs. de Winter and pushes her over to the window. She grabs her hand with a firm grip, and pushes her head out the window. She threatens Mrs. de Winter to the fullest extent and tells her "There's not much for you to live for, is there? Why don't you just jump and have it over with?" (250). In the emotional state that Mrs. de Winter is in, she it seems as though she considers jumping. Until, in the moment, a ship has come on shore and rockets go off, shaking the entire house, bring Mrs. Danvers and Mrs. de Winter back to their senses.
I'm shocked at the fact that Mrs. Danvers threatened her as she did. I can understand hating someone for replacing a significant person in their life; however, I can't see wanting them to kill themselves over it. Well, actually, suicide in all cases is wrong, no matter the case. It seems as though Mrs. Danvers has an abundance of anger and isn't afraid to use it at this point. Will she let her anger get the best of her and make an irrational move against someone else? She burns down the Manderley estate.
Vocabulary:
ominous (241)- giving the impression that something bad is going to happen
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