The Thirteenth Tale

Margaret and Vida fall back into their routine: Vida tells her story, and then Margaret returns to her rooms and transcribes the story from her memory. She realizes that it is possible that, even after all these years, Hester is still alive. She decides to find out what happened to her, and writes to her father, asking him how one would go about finding Hester.

Hester’s management of the household begins to falter. She locks doors to find them opened again. When she confronts the Missus, they agree that she will not open the doors anymore, and yet she continues to find them open after she has locked them. Also, she has seen a boy in the garden, and assumes that he is working for John-the-dig, a common practice in the country. When she confronts him, however, saying that the boy should be in school, John denies all knowledge of the child.

Hester and Dr. Maudsley meet to discuss her progress, which he says is quite remarkable. She is disappointed by his condescension, as he clearly underestimates her intelligence. They agree that Emmeline is doing well under Hester’s care, but she admits that Adeline is still a puzzle. She wonders if Adeline will ever be able to join society, although Emmeline seems capable. She tells the doctor that, in lieu of actual instruction during school time, she tells them stories. She notices that there are times when Adeline seems to be present, for a moment, but she is usually completely in her own world. She notes that Adeline showed signs of interest when she told them the story of Jane Eyre. She worries that if she employs methods to keep Adeline in check, the girl in the mist that sometimes appears in Adeline will disappear altogether. The doctor decides to conduct an examination of Adeline, and Hester gives him her extensive notes on the child, surprising him.

Margaret has been writing well into the night when she thinks she hears music—five notes of a song. The song has been drifting in her mind for some time, but now she definitely hears it, and it seems to be coming from the garden. It is raining and dark outside, but she goes out into the garden, following the music. She never finds the source, but winds up back where she began. She sits on a bench and feels a presence near her, but it is the cat, Shadow. She brings him inside and dries him and they fall asleep together. The next day, Margaret tries to retrace her steps, but the garden is so orderly that she cannot find her footsteps. She sees Maurice, who is smoothing out a patch of disordered soil, which he blames on the foxes.

Dr. Maudsley comes to Angelfield to examine Adeline. Adeline is unresisting and seems to hardly be aware of what is happening. She refuses to speak. The doctor finds her physically healthy, if underweight, but does not know what to make of her psychological state. That evening, as he is telling his wife about Adeline’s antics, she asks if perhaps the girl is just “wicked.” Hester reminds the doctor that Adeline’s identity and life have been shaped by the fact of her twinness, and her sister is the one fixed point in her life. Hester suggests that perhaps they each have half of a person’s full range of emotions because together they are a whole. She considers the possibility that Adeline is suppressing a part of herself because Emmeline already has those characteristics.

Hester and the doctor trade articles and reading material in an effort to discover answers to the puzzle of Adeline. After much research, Hester suggests that they undertake original research, published under the doctor’s name, on the subject of twins. They decide to separate the twins, and they do so at night, taking Emmeline away and locking Adeline in her room. Adeline becomes nonresponsive, and the next day, the doctor takes her to his home, where she will stay during the experiment. Emmeline, meanwhile, realizes the separation more slowly, but cries and goes in search of Adeline. The next day, however, she is calm.

With the separation, Adeline falls into complete passivity and dissociates from the world, which they were not expecting. Hester and the doctor take notes on the twins and discuss their project. The twins have lost their appetites, and sleep all the time, but despite the fact that the experiment is not going well, they continue. They are both thriving from the intellectual stimulation of the company of the other, and so do not see the damage that they are doing, or the fact that their experiment is failing and the twins are suffering, and being damaged by it. After some time, Emmeline begins to improve slightly, but still will not speak. Hester and Dr. Maudsley continue their experiment, despite the fact that it yields nothing, because they are enjoying the process so much.

What finally halts the experiment is that one day, Hester sees Emmeline and Adeline playing together outside, but when she arrives at the doctor’s house, Adeline is inside. She cannot come up with a scientific explanation for what she has seen and believes that she has seen a ghost. She is upset, and Dr. Maudsley kisses her. Mrs. Maudsley, who is not surprised by this development, finds them in an embrace and tells Hester to leave their house and take Adeline with her. This is the end of the experiment. As soon as Adeline arrives in the house, Emmeline realizes it and finds her. No one sees Hester return, but the next morning, she is gone for good.

At this point in the story, Margaret interrupts Vida to ask where Hester had gone. Vida does not know, and says it does not matter, as she is just a side character. Margaret presses her for more information, but Vida does not know and does not care. Margaret determines to find out more, and writes to Mr. Lomax, Vida’s solicitor, that very night.

Margaret’s father knows a genealogical researcher who may be able to help her find Hester, and gives Margaret his address. He also forwards a letter from the law professor that she had written to ask about the declaration of Charlie’s death. He has included a copy of the official document, on which Mr. Lomax has signed for Emmeline, and Vida has also signed, including the name “Adeline March” in parenthesis. Finally, Margaret has proof that Vida’s story is true, and that she and Adeline are the same person. She then goes to the library to continue her session with Vida.

After Adeline and Emmeline are brought back together, they spend an entire night and day together. The house and its inhabitants slowly revert to their previous state, before Hester arrived. The twins, too, revert back, but things are not the same. Adeline, who had been in a sort of fugue state after their separation, does not remember it, and so reverts back immediately. Emmeline had begun to adapt to Adeline’s absence, and so she had changed during the separation. Now Emmeline, who had always let Adeline have her way, begins to resent this dynamic. Emmeline developed private amusements during their separation and now, when she is engaged in them, will sometimes ignore Adeline’s summons, for which Adeline beats her.

The Missus, meanwhile, keeps expecting Hester to come back, and John cannot convince her differently. Eventually, the real reason for Hester’s departure becomes known to her through the village gossip. At first, she will not believe what went on between Hester and Dr. Maudsley, but John manages to convince her that it is true, and that Hester will not be coming back.