Fleda Vetch, a principled but ultimately weak-willed young lady, becomes involved in a dispute between an antique collector and her son: he has inherited her collection on the death of her husband and wishes her to move out of the house but is planning to marry a girl she views as a ‘philistine’. Through her nature, Fleda is unable either to prevent the marriage or arrange an accommodation between the disputants.
1
Mrs Gereth is enduring a weekend at Waterbath, the ugly, over-stuffed
country house of the Brigstocks, because she suspects that her only son Owen
wishes to marry the vulgar Mona Brigstock. She finds a kindred spirit in a
young unattached woman of somewhat straightened circumstances, Fleda Vetch.
2
Back in London, Mrs Gereth takes Fleda under her wing to give her
experience of Poynton, the Jacobean house filled with art treasures
collected by Mrs Gereth and her late husband, ownership of which
has now passed by will to Owen.
3
Fleda becomes enchanted with Poynton and its ‘spoils’ on her extended
visit. Owen brings Mona and her mother down to the house to show them
his wealth and, at breakfast without the guests, Mrs Gereth, fearful of
an engagement resulting, tells Owen that she could only give up her home
if he married someone she could trust to appreciate and look after the collection
– Fleda for example.
4
Owen becomes engaged to Mona after the visit. Although very embarrassed
by the breakfast scene, Fleda doesn’t carry out her threat to leave
Poynton. She reflects on Mona’s attitude during the visit and on Mrs
Gereth’s rudeness to her guests. Although denying, to Mrs Gereth, that
she is in love with Owen herself, Fleda agrees to help him pursuade his
mother to move to Ricks, a small dower-house in Essex, left to Mr Gereth
by an aunt and being offered by Owen as a new home for his mother.
5
Fleda is now acting as go-between. Mrs Gereth announces that she will
only move to Ricks if allowed to take all the objects she requires to keep
but Owen will only allow her what belongs to her. She takes Fleda to look
at Ricks but is not impressed.
6
Owen makes frequent visits to Poynton, managing the estate. Fleda grows
impatient of her false position at the house, not telling Mrs Gereth
of her promises to help Owen, nor Owen of the limited influence she has
while Mrs Gereth thinks of her as on her side. She therefore returns to
her father’s lodgings in London, ostensibly to help her sister Maggie,
who is to marry. Eventually Fleda receives a letter from Mrs Gereth who
has moved to Ricks. Owen meets Fleda, by accident, in Oxford Street
and insists on helping her with her shopping and in buying her a thank-you
gift (which Fleda makes a very small one).
7
After Maggie’s wedding, Fleda goes to stay at Ricks, where she finds the
house stuffed to overflowing with all the choicest pieces, ‘stolen’ from
the Poynton collections. Embarrassed again by Mrs Gereth, Fleda again
fails to leave. Owen arrives to remonstrate with his mother, but when he learns
that Flora is there asks to see her instead...
8
Owen obviously finds it easier not to face his mother. Fleda says she
agrees with his position and, after it has become apparent that Mona
will not proceed with the marriage until Poynton is complete again, she
tries to reassure him that she can talk his mother in to sending all
the treasures back. Owen seems concerned about Fleda’s home if she
should argue with his mother, but Fleda apparently becomes afraid that
he will say something else and bundles him out of the house.
9
Alone in her room, waiting for Mrs Gereth to return from a walk, Fleda
reviews her own position vis-à-vis Owen and his promise(s) to Mona. She
decides to put his demands to his mother but hopes, high-mindedly, that
a rupture of the engagement comes from Waterbath.
10
In the garden, on her return, Mrs Gereth questions Fleda about Owen’s
visit, forcing her to invent details, such as legal enforcement, which
had not actually been discussed. Through Fleda’s evasions,
Mrs Gereth eventually deduces that Mona will not go through with
the marriage while the spoils are at Ricks.
11
Moving in to tea, it becomes apparent that Fleda has given away more
than just Mona’s position, as Mrs Gereth outlines her hope that Fleda
can get Owen away from Mona by ‘letting herself go’ because she
is in love with him, despite her protestations.
12
Fleda refuses to follow Mrs Gereth’s advice to meet Owen in London to
rely her reply and merely writes telling him to be patient. As the
marriage still fails to take place, Mrs Gereth’s exhortations send Fleda
back to London any way.
13
Staying again at her father’s lodgings, Fleda takes no steps in the
Poynton matter, merely pondering her own future, perhaps as a poor
water-colourist. Owen seeks her out for news, having received her
address from his mother, and finds her outside the corner shop.
14
Back at the lodgings and over tea, Owen complains of his being kept in
the dark about any progress. Fleda explains that she left Ricks and has
had nothing to report. They review Mona’s impatience with Owen’s lack of
legal action and the effect on it of Fleda’s role as go-between. On the
point of declaring his true intention Owen is interrupted by another
visitor...
15
Mrs Brigstock has arrived. Finding Maggie’s wedding invitation
card she has decided to inquire of Fleda in person what is happening. She seems
displeased to find Owen there, but claims to have discovered what she wanted
to know and permits Owen to escort her away.
16
Fleda takes fright of another confrontation with Owen, so she departs
immediately to stay with Maggie and her curate husband in the Midlands.
Owen however writes and then visits; he has argued with Mrs Brigstock
and considers himself free, but Fleda sends him to break with Mona in
person.
17
Ten days later, Mrs Gereth telegraphs for Fleda to join her in London. She is
proposing to tour the continent with Fleda and Owen, following a visit from
Mrs Brigstock conveying news of Owen’s being discovered at Fleda’s.
Mrs Gereth has had all the treasures restored to Poynton.
18
Fleda has to confess that she hasn’t seen Owen since she sent him back to
break with Mona and that she fears the worst, particularly if Mona finds out that
the spoils have been restored. Together they decide to find out what has happened
by telegraphing to Waterbath and Poynton.
19
In the telegraph office, Fleda wires Owen at Waterbath, superstitiously paying
for it herself. Mrs Gereth wires Poynton. They then go to Euston station
for Fleda to return to Maggie’s, agreeing there that if they have
lost they will still go abroad.
20
On the third day after telegraphing, Mrs Gereth wires and then arrives
at Maggie’s. Owen and Mona have married at a registry-office and will
announce it at a church service later at Waterbath. Both women break down
in tears.
21
Before the Waterbath ceremony, Mrs Gereth invites Fleda down to Ricks –
she is staying in England because Owen and Mona are going abroad. Fleda finds
that the elder lady’s natural taste has made the maiden aunt’s things
tolerable for them both.
22
From their shrunken state, Mrs Gereth and Fleda follow reports of the
victorious couple’s travels. Eventually Owen writes to Fleda offering
her the choice of one item from Poynton as a keepsake. Fleda delays and
when, finally, she makes the trip to select something she arrives on the
morning Poynton and all its contents are destroyed by fire.
THE END
these synopses
© 2002
part of an etext edition of
The spoils of Poynton
on
the Ladder : a Henry James website