The Ruby in the Smoke Novel Notes Introduction The first two chapters also set up the mystery

y of the book, as well as some foreshadowing of what is to come. On the first page the reader is told that Sally will soon kill a man. This turns out to be an accident. Mr. Higgs had a weak heart and could not take the shock and fear when she mentioned The Seven Blessings. However, this comment also foreshadows the end of the story, as Sally will literally shoot a man. The mention of the gun kept in her bag also foreshadows this end, though it will be a different gun that is actually used to do the deed. The Seven Blessings itself is obviously important, if it caused such an extreme reaction in Mr. Higgs. Sally's mysterious letter, which seems to be from her father but is not in his writing, hints that The Seven Blessings is dangerous to her. It also tells her to find Marchbanks, who will help her. Meanwhile, unknown to Sally, the death in the newspaper and the mention of her name have caught the attention of a man who lives near the sea. An old woman has arranged for a ruby to be willed to her, and a sailor has entered the old woman's lodgings. The reader is informed that this sailor has something that is very important to Sally. The reader is also told that all these people are connected, and that they have something to do with the mystery that Sally is now investigating. These are the first clues, setting up a web of people and events that are connected to Sally through the ruby. All of this will become very important to the plot. For now, the reader is left in confusion and suspense, waiting for the mystery to unravel. Characteristics Sally is an unusually independent and confident girl for her age and for the time in which she lives. She is only sixteen years old, and in Victorian England she would be expected to remain ladylike, demure and submissive at all times. At this time society thought of women, and especially young girls, as weak and incapable of looking after themselves. They were considered to have a fragile disposition, meaning that they would be likely to cry or faint at the slightest shocking or upsetting thing. Sally is not like this at all. She gets upset in upsetting circumstances, as any normal person would, but she does not allow this to send her into hysterics or to stop her from thinking clearly. When Mr. Higgs collapses in front of her, she remains calm and level-headed. She is confident enough to approach the firm on her own, without a male chaperone, and quickly shows that she is capable of looking after herself without a man to help her. In these ways, Sally is more like a modern girl than a Victorian, and so is very ahead of her time. Because of this, she is much easier for the reader to like and sympathize with. She does not come across as pathetic or weak, but seems strong, determined, and interesting. Sally may be unusually strong for a Victorian girl, but she is not afraid to use the prejudice of her society to her own advantage. When Mr. Selby seems to be suspicious of her, she pretends to cry, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. He quickly dismisses her as a pathetic and hysterical young girl who couldn't possibly be a threat to anyone. What he does not realize is that Sally is a lot cleverer than he thinks, and that she is merely putting on an act. Sally knows that she can manipulate people in this way by making them see what they expect to see. However, she is also perceptive enough to see that this will not work with Jim, who had already seen through her ladylike image. Jim admires Sally's strength and quickly decides to help her. Sally shows that she is also a good judge of character when she decides to trust him. In the same way that she knows she should be cautious around Mr. Selby, she knows that she can confide in Jim. This shows that she has good instincts to back up her strong and confident manner. Sally is unusual in other ways too. She carries a gun in her bag and knows how to shoot it. Her father taught her, and told her to always be prepared in case she needs it. This is another way in which Sally can look after herself if she needs to. Sally's upbringing and education has not been like that of other Victorian girls, which explains why she is so different. Her father allowed her a great amount of independence and freedom, and taught her things that he thought she would find useful in life. As a result, she knows a lot about tactics, book-keeping, the Stock Market, riding and shooting, and she has a working knowledge of Hindustani. However, she knows nothing about the subjects that respectable young Victorian women are expected to be familiar with, such as English Literature, French, Art,

Music and History. This is what makes Mrs. Rees despair of her, as she does not have the right knowledge to be able to become a governess. Now that Sally is an orphan, she will have to survive on her own somehow. A typical role for a girl of her social class would be a governess, teaching and looking after the children of a rich household. Sally is hardly typical, however, and this role will not suit her at all. Mrs. Rees hates all these things that make Sally unusual. To her, Sally is only just barely respectable, and will likely bring shame on her if she stays in her house. Victorians were extremely concerned with what was considered respectable, and middle class and upper class young girls had to be particularly careful how they behaved in order not to be shamed. If Sally leaves Mrs. Rees' house, she will have to find friends or a family as unique and independent as she is, if she is to be accepted. In these chapters, the reader gets to see a more vulnerable side of Sally. She is still brave and independent, going to Swaleness alone on the train, which she herself points out is a bit odd for a young woman in these times. She stays calm even though she seems to be in danger, and shows that she can be quick-thinking and resourceful even in a crisis when she has the idea to use the photographer's tent to hide in. She also shows how easily she can get others on her side. Jim instantly warmed to her and wanted to help her in the previous chapter, and the same happens here with the photographer. Sally has a likeable, trustable and engaging personality, and it seems that she can make friends easily simply by being herself. However, this is where Sally's vulnerability starts to show, as she does not realize this herself. She does not see that by being herself she can make friends easily, and instead worries about how she acts. She is actually not very confident when dealing with people in a non-business environment. When she wants Frederick, the photographer, to like her, she seems to say the wrong thing. She wants to pay him for the use of his tent to show him that she respects him, and perhaps also to prove that she is not a pathetic girl who needed saving. She wants to show that she can pay her way and look after herself. However, as soon as she says this she realizes that she may have offended him, and worries that she came across as childish and naive. Although Sally likes to use the 'weak girl' prejudice of her society to get what she wants from others, she does not want to do this with Fred. This is not how she wants Fred to see her. Sally still feels like a young, inexperienced girl at times, and she is a little lost without her father's guidance. A lot of her confidence is actually bravado or a determination to not give up. She is still afraid and unsure and too young to know exactly how to act with certain people. She admits that her upbringing was often quite solitary. For all her strength of character, which other girls her age do not have, unlike the other girls her social skills are still very awkward and underdeveloped. Talking to Fred reminds her of this, making her feel foolish and embarrassed. This reminds the reader that Sally is not a super-woman; she is still young and vulnerable, and she is going to need some help if she is to solve the mystery and avoid the danger. This does not make her weak; it makes her human. In these chapters Sally shows once again how capable, sensible and independent she can be. She decides that she can no longer stay with Mrs. Rees. This is partly a sensible measure taken to protect herself, as Mrs. Holland has proved that she knows where Sally is and can easily send someone to harm her. Sally will therefore have to move and find somewhere safer and more hidden to live. Sally's other reason for moving is that she does not want to be treated poorly by Mrs. Rees anymore. She is sick of being talked to as if she is a burden, useless and shameful. She has too much self respect to stay in this place where she is obviously not liked or wanted. She leaves, and goes to see her family lawyer Mr. Temple. Mr. Temple is surprised and slightly impressed by her business-like attitude. She knows exactly what she is doing with her money, and quickly tells him how she would like her various shares to be managed to make as much profit as possible. She shows a smart attitude and a keen business sense. She knows that Mr. Temple will probably not allow her access to her money when he finds out that she has left Mrs. Rees' house, as he is a traditional Victorian man who does not think girls are capable of looking after themselves. She therefore decides to withdraw all her money, ensuring that she will have enough to set herself up somewhere and think about her next move. Leaving Mrs. Rees' house may have been slightly rash behavior, but Sally does not panic or give up. She takes stock of her situation and then follows the most sensible path to solving her problems. She is not afraid to seek out Frederick Garland, and when she does she puts her business head to use again

by offering to do his accounting. The skills Sally's father taught her have paid off, helping her to be a very capable, independent young woman. Rosa points out that Sally is like two separate people, sometimes so confident and sometimes so quiet. When Sally is dealing with business or practical concerns, she is confident of her ability, and her natural leadership comes through. She takes charge of the shop and tells them all how they can make more money. She gives each person a job to do, and then realizes that she is perhaps being a little bossy. However, when she is not in her business-mind she is very quiet and shy. Rosa says that she sometimes doesn't even notice Sally is there. This is because Sally is still socially awkward and shy. She sometimes gets flustered when talking to Frederick, worries that she might be being bossy or overstepping herself, and does not know how to comfort or interact with Adelaide. She has confidence in the things she knows she is good at, but when it comes to things she is less experienced with, she is very unsure. She has not really found herself yet, and has not yet developed the fully rounded confidence that adults have when dealing with other people. This is beginning to develop now that she is with the Garlands, and living here will prove to be very good for Sally. Rosa has a very vivacious personality and she is naturally good with people. This will rub off on Sally and help to open her up. The fact that the normally strong Sally allows herself to be vulnerable with these people shows that she has already accepted them as her family. She privately worries that she is not normal, and that she ought to take interest in the things that other girls do, like sewing. She confides in Rosa about this, admitting fears that she would never have normally told anyone else. Rosa points out that she is hardly normal either, and that it is better to follow one's heart in life. If a person is good at something and enjoys it, then they should do it, no matter what anyone else says or thinks. This comforts Sally, as it persuades her that she can still find friends, and a place to belong, even though she is different. Meanwhile, Sally cannot sit at home doing nothing, even when Frederick points out that she needs to stay out of the fight because she is the one Mrs. Holland really wants. Sally hates to think of others fighting her battles, or of Adelaide suffering because of her. She feels guilty about not being able to help, and angry with Mrs. Holland for hurting her friends. She makes the difficult decision of taking some more opium. She wants to stimulate the Nightmare again, so that she can learn the truth about her past. She hopes that this will allow her to stop Mrs. Holland. After seeing how badly opium affected Mr. Bedwell, Sally is very brave to try this in the hopes of saving her friends. The mystery of the Ruby is unravelled in these chapters. Mrs. Holland explains her part in the story and why she wants the Ruby so badly. It was promised to her, and she believes that she has a right to it. More than this, she feels that she has already paid for it. She was cruelly betrayed by a man she trusted, and possessing the Ruby would somehow make this right for her, finally justifying the anguish of her past. This is why she has become obsessed with it, and why she hates anyone else who gets in her way. She sees the Ruby as hers, and anyone else who takes or claims it as a thief and rival. There is even a little understanding, perhaps even sympathy, for Mrs. Holland inserted into chapter eighteen. She has been driven to madness and villainy by a hurtful betrayal in the past. Her youthful innocence was shattered and she saw how cruel the world could really be. When she jumps into the river after the Ruby, the reader sees how she really has been driven into insanity and despair by her obsession with it. For her, the Ruby is like opium addiction. She became lost in it, losing herself and her life. Even Sally begins to feel a little sorry for Mrs. Holland here. However, any sympathy for her is quickly extinguished when the reader remembers all that she has done. She has murdered people, terrorized people, and ruined lives. She has kidnapped Adelaide, whose fate is currently unknown. Sally also realizes that since Marchbanks is her real father, Mrs. Holland is also her father's murderer. Sally can feel no pity for her in the end.

Analysis of Speech Relationships Sally is quickly beginning to build up a network of friends and people she can rely on, so that she does not have to face the mystery and the danger alone. As seen earlier in the story, Sally seems to have the ability to get people on her side instantly, and to inspire great trust and support. Jim is still on the case and determined to help her, and she made such an impression on Frederick that he went home and told his sister Rosa all about her. Frederick clearly still admires Sally and wants to help her, and soon Rosa is welcoming her with open arms too. Even when Sally tells them her whole story about being robbed and the dangerous Mrs. Holland, and even when they realize that Mrs. Holland must have had Marchbanks murdered, they are still anxious to help Sally despite the danger they will be putting themselves in. Sally's natural honesty, and her friendly and easy-going nature attract people to her. She is not judgmental or stand-offish, but will happily talk to anyone else as if they are her equal. She is still a little socially awkward, but this does not prevent others from seeing through to the good person underneath. The Garlands are the perfect new family for Sally. They are a little unusual and do not do things by the rules. They are from a respectable family, but they do not care about social etiquette, preferring to eat without plates so they do not have to wash dishes, and living how they want to rather than how others think they should. They treat everyone else as equals, including their servant Trembler, and their new acquaintance Sally. Sally is pleased to find that she is never treated as 'just a girl' and that Trembler is not treated as lower than the Garlands because he works for them. They are more like one big family. Rosa is similar to Sally in many ways, as she is a strong and fiercely independent young woman who will not put up with men telling her what to do. Both Rosa and Frederick instantly accept Sally as their accountant without once questioning whether a girl could really do that job. In patriarchal Victorian society, trusting a woman with this kind of work would be extremely unusual. Fred and Rosa therefore seem to have very similar ideals and values to Sally. They do not judge, but instead believe that every person should live how they want to, free from the pressures of family and society's rules. Sally could not have asked for a better or more accepting place to begin a new life and new home. Likewise, Sally is perfect for the Garlands. She is not judgmental or too proper; she is friendly and easy to get along with; and she can do their accounts for them, which they so desperately need. It seems like good fortune for both sides that they have found each other. Now Sally can begin to make a place for herself in the world, and has a chance to gain happiness again after her father's death. Sally is beginning to feel increasingly awkward around Frederick. She gets nervous when he is near, finds it hard to say what she really means in conversations with him, and even physically shakes when he is near her. Frederick thinks this is because she is cold, and she is frustrated that he cannot see the truth. She does not shake until he is around, and before he came outside, her hands were steady enough to shoot a gun. Clearly, she likes Frederick a lot, and is coming to develop strong feelings for him. He is brave, loyal and a good man. She trusts him with her secrets and her fears, and he has helped her out from the first second he met her. He shows that he obviously admires her and is concerned about her, but more importantly, he is willing to let her be herself rather than trying to push her into the stereotypical Victorian idea of a woman. However, poor Sally finds it impossible to express these things. She has little experience of social interaction with others, and even less of anything romantic. She is afraid that she just comes across as foolish and a little pathetic when she talks to Frederick. Seeing Frederick's reaction to her and his desire to be around her, the reader can see that Sally's assessment might be wrong. Fred does not seem to think she is pathetic at all, and he might be developing feelings just as deep for her. Notes on References in Text More of the mystery is introduced in these chapters as the diary of Marchbanks explains about the Ruby of Agrapur. Marchbanks describes it as having chasms and depths that a person could almost

fall into, and likens it to the madness of opium addiction. This strongly foreshadows some of the main elements of the plot in which opium addiction becomes very important, as well as the ways in which opium and the Ruby are tied together. Now Mrs. Holland has also been properly introduced as Sally's main enemy. The reader can begin to piece together some of the clues from the last four chapters. The man who read the paper and then wrote a letter must have been Marchbanks writing to Sally. He saw her name and decided to tell her something important. This seems to have something to do with the Ruby, which is also what Mrs. Holland wants. In the previous chapters, Mrs. Holland was talking to a lawyer about arrangements being made for the Ruby to come to her in someone's will. It seems likely that this person is Marchbanks, and that he now wants to keep Mrs. Holland from getting the Ruby. He has entrusted Sally with information about the Ruby and what happened to it after the Maharajah was killed. This has something to do with Sally herself, as she was present at the time of the Mutiny in Agrapur. Now Marchbanks' diary has been stolen from Sally, and it seems likely that Mrs. Holland arranged this. However, this particular mystery does not seem to have anything to do with Sally's father's death, or the meaning of The Seven Blessings. There is still a lot left unknown. How did the Ruby get out of India, who has it now, and why does Mrs. Holland want it? What does this all have to do with Sally? Why should she beware of The Seven Blessings and why is Mrs. Holland her enemy? These questions draw the reader in, encouraging speculation and participation in the mystery of the story. Sally also finds out from Mr. Temple that Mrs. Rees has been taking Sally's income in return for giving her a place to say. Mrs. Rees has been calling Sally selfish and complaining about her relying on charity, when all the time Mrs. Rees has actually been getting paid for looking after Sally. This is hypocritical and manipulative. Sally quickly makes sure that Mrs. Rees will not profit from her ever again, telling Mr. Temple to pay the money directly into Sally's account instead. Mrs. Rees is just one example of the many people in this story who seem to be out to help themselves, not caring who they hurt on the way. Mrs. Holland is desperate for the Ruby and will even murder to get it. She is keeping poor Mr. Bedwell in a permanently drugged state just to extract information from him. Mr. Hopkins stole from Sally twice while she was sleeping, but was then mugged and killed himself by a thief. Even Mrs. Rees' maid is jealous of Sally and wants to harm her. London is portrayed as a dangerous and difficult place in which a person must always be on their guard. Anyone might be out to take advantage of another person, to use them for their own ends. Sally will always have to be careful who she trusts. It is therefore a strong contrast when she meets the Garland family, who are instantly so open and honest. Together they can help each other to avoid the dangers and support each other in their problems.

This did not just have adverse effects on China, but on India too, where the drug was grown. The Indian people were treated badly, and so many crop fields were turned into drug fields that people starved. In 1857 an Indian Rebellion broke out, beginning with the mutiny of sepoys (Indian soldiers in the service of a foreign power) of the East India Company. This is what Sally's father and Major Marchbanks were embroiled in at Agrapur in 1856-7. This is the Mutiny that Marchbanks refers to in his diary. It is through this Mutiny that the Ruby was lost, leading to the mystery that Sally is now trying to solve. In fact, opium is central to the plot of this book. It connects the two mysteries, and it has directly or indirectly caused the suffering of every troubled character in the story. Bedwell currently holds some information vital to Sally, but cannot convey it because of his enslavement to opium. There would have been no Mutiny if not for the production of the drug. Opium and the Ruby seem to be inextricably linked; even the depths and chasms inside the Ruby remind Marchbanks of opium addiction. Sally herself seems to have been exposed to the smoke before, as Madame Chang points out, and opium will prove to have had a heavy influence on her life and identity. Even Sally's father's death is connected to the trade of opium, as the reader will find out later. Opium is the 'smoke' of the title, which will finally reveal the truth of the Ruby to Sally. This chapter is therefore a very important one, as it introduces the reader to a very important theme of the book. The Ruby and opium are connected in evil; both corrupt others, both ruin lives, and both incite greed and inhumanity in people. Opium is shown to be an addictive and monstrous thing. It traps people,

giving them pleasure at first but quickly turning into a nightmare. People find it hard to get free, as the drug has such a strong hold over its users. Frederick tells Sally that people will lie on shelves or on the floor in squalid buildings, taking the drug and forgetting everything else. Even at Madame Chang's, which is more comfortable and respectable, the drug users are oblivious, lost inside themselves and unable to connect with the world around them. Sally is surprised to see young women there too, and some people who seem respectably dressed. This shows her that the drug can get hold of any person, no matter how rich or respectable they think they are, and make them forget everything else. A person addicted to opium will forget their family, their life and their duty. A strong example of this is Mr. Bedwell, who has fallen into a pathetic and terrible existence, unable to fulfill his promise to Mr. Lockhart or to find his brother and tell him that he is not dead. Later, there will be an even clearer example, when the reader will see that opium can even make a man give up his own child. Not only is opium use a horrible thing, but opium inspires greed and corruption. The British government seemed to think nothing of condemning a whole country to its poison, or of ruining Indian lives in its production. This is because opium and its sale is worth a lot of money to them. On the one side, opium is about greed, corruption, power and wealth. On the other it is about oblivion, addiction, suffering and poverty. Opium is an evil substance that, like the Ruby, only ever seems to spread more and more misery. Sally is also introduced to some of the other realities of Victorian London in chapter ten. She sees the poverty-stricken streets, the dark, dirty alleys, and the poor men, women and children who gaze at her with hostile eyes and look much older than they actually are. They are care-worn by constant worry and the difficulty of just surviving. Sally remarks that there must be jobs for them somewhere but Frederick tells her that this is not the case. They have to choose between begging and living on the streets or working at the workhouses, which provide such dangerous and back-breaking work that it is likely to kill them faster than living on the streets would. This is in strong contrast to what Sally usually sees in the streets of London that she walks in. She was lucky enough to be born into a respectable, good family, and her father has always cared for and provided for her. She has never had to see this kind of poverty before, and it shocks her. Victorian London was a city of extremes; the rich were very rich and the poor were very poor. For Sally, it is eye-opening to see how wide the gap between the classes really is. This is a different kind of misery and depression from the opium smokers. These people have no hope and barely anything left to live for. They are struggling simply to get by, not through any fault of their own but because they are given no chances. Frederick remarks that this is actually a worse evil than opium, and Sally agrees. Both this, and the shady reality of the opium trade, are the 'hidden' parts of Victorian life. These are the consequences of the riches, enlightenment, expansion and opportunities of the Victorian age. The Victorian times are often looked on as a kind of 'golden age' for Britain, bringing new inventions, culture and wealth, and pushing society forwards towards modern day. However, it is these hidden harsh realities that fueled it, and on which the Victorian age was built. The author is pointing out that it is important not to forget this side of it too. In these chapters, some of the questions concerning Sally's father's death are answered, but the mystery is still not completely solved. Sally now knows why the letter from her father was written so badly; it was dictated to his foreign servant Perak. Sally also now knows how Bedwell is involved in the whole thing. Bedwell tells them that the ship seemed to have been sunk as a way to disguise Lockhart's murder. This must have something to do with Ah Ling and his society The Seven Blessings, who are the ones who attacked the ship, and who Mr. Lockhart warned his daughter against. It is strange that the arranged cargo was abandoned as soon as Lockhart unexpectedly boarded the ship. This suggests that something else was intended to be shipped, but that it was either quickly abandoned to keep it secret from Lockhart, or that Lockhart refused to take it. Could Lockhart and Selby have been secretly shipping illegal goods? With the involvement of Ah Ling and the Triad called the The Seven Blessings, it seems likely that they were dealing in something illegal and that this was being smuggled to China. Given the prominence of opium in the story so far, the reader might wonder if opium is also behind Selby's secret and Lockhart's death.

As this mystery begins to unravel, a new mystery presents itself. A strange man arrives on a boat. The next day, Selby receives a letter that frightens him, and he asks Jim if he is being watched. This is enough to make Selby seek Mrs. Holland's help and protection. Who could this mysterious man be and what does he have to do with Selby? Jim has great fun trying to figure all this out. First, he tries to gain any information he can about the man. He is clever, and almost tricks Selby and the messenger into giving something away, but does not learn anything useful. However, he is observant enough to notice the Warwick Hotel's logo on the boy's hat and buttons. He now knows where the sender of the letter is staying. He is intelligent enough to know that Selby is in trouble and that it probably relates to Sally, and he wastes no time in bringing this information to her. He seems to be enjoying himself immensely, and even seems disappointed that he could not go with Fred and the reverend to free Bedwell from Mrs. Holland. Jim likes to be part of the action, and sees the whole thing as a big adventure, like out of his Penny Dreadful magazines. He longs to be a hero like the ones in the tales he reads, and finally Sally has given him this opportunity. Reading the stories has taught him quickthinking, caution, resourcefulness and lateral thinking, but he is also loyal, brave and friendly. He cares a lot about Sally, who he admires deeply, and he wants to make sure no harm comes to her. Now he is getting to put all this into practice. Mrs. Holland finally manages to solve the riddle in this chapter, which points out where the Ruby is hidden. It says to look in a place of darkness under a knotted rope. This is the cellar of the pub. The pub is called 'The Turk's Head' which is a name for a special kind of knot. The riddle instructs that three red lights will shine on the spot when the moon pulls on the water. This means the three red lights on the buoy, which only shine into the cellar at high tide. The moon pulling on the water is a reference to the moon pulling on the sea, causing the tides. The instructions therefore lead to the cellar of The Turk's Head pub, where the buoy's lights shine on a loose stone where the Ruby has been hidden. Unfortunately for Mrs. Holland, she solves this riddle too late. Someone has already reached and taken the jewel. Mrs. Holland is furious, assuming that Sally must be the one who now has the Ruby. She is determined to make Sally suffer. Now Sally and her friends are in even greater danger than before. However, the reader knows that Sally has not yet solved the riddle. In fact, she has not even really tried. Who could have stolen the gem? If the reader thinks back, they will remember that Jim ventured out to Swaleness on his own one day, following an idea. The reader was told that he found something there, but that he did not want to tell Sally about it yet, as he thought it would put her in even more danger. It seems very likely that Jim is the one who solved the riddle and found the Ruby, and that he is keeping it from Sally because the Ruby has a reputation for bringing bad luck and tragedy. Jim is clever and resourceful, and he knows how to think laterally from the stories he reads in his Penny Dreadful magazines. He loves mysteries and constantly reads about how heroes solve riddles and follow clues. It is natural for him to see hidden meanings in things, and it is no surprise that he was the first one to guess what the riddle really means. Unfortunately for Sally and her friends, the calm, blissful atmosphere at Burton Street cannot last much longer. Mrs. Holland is now even more determined than ever to make Sally suffer, and Adelaide has been spotted walking into the photography shop with Trembler. Sally and Mrs. Holland's meeting is foreshadowed in this chapter, when the author explains that two people who are thinking about each other will soon meet. The message is clear; it is only a matter of time before Mrs. Holland pounces.

The foreshadowing in various parts of the book is resolved in these last chapters. The mysterious man who was sailing into London was Van Eeden, who is also Ah Ling. This is the man who killed Selby, and probably the man who killed Matthew Bedwell. He did not want the information about his illegal activities to get out. He is also the one who killed Mr. Lockhart, the man Sally has known as her father. At the beginning of the story, the reader was told that Sally would soon kill a man. She did, as Mr. Higgs died of heart failure when Sally mentioned The Seven Blessings. This now makes sense, as Mr. Higgs must have been involved in the illegal opium trade too, and must have been terrified of being found out or silenced by Ah Ling. However, this foreshadowing also applies to the end of the

novel, as the author's words literally come true. Sally does actually kill a man when she shoots Van Eeden. Now that Sally has found the money, she and her friends can have a happy ending after all. She can invest in the photography business and help it to expand, and she even hopes to become a partner in the firm. She has begun to develop strong feelings for Frederick and is pleased that she can continue to stay with him. She has found good friends for life in Rosa, Trembler, Jim and Frederick. However, there are still two cliffhangers left open for the next book. Has Van Eeden survived? His body was missing from the cab, so either he crawled somewhere else to die, or he managed to get away. More importantly, Adelaide has still not been found, and the reader has no idea if she is even still alive. Still, the end of the story is hopeful; Sally has enough money to hire a detective to find Adelaide, and she seems to believe that Adelaide is still alive. Sally has solved her mysteries, and now has a happy home to return to. She will never stop searching for her missing friend. Mrs Hollands Contrast to Sally In these chapters it becomes apparent that there are actually two mysteries, connected by Sally but otherwise separate. One mystery revolves around the location of the Ruby, why Mrs. Holland is so desperate for it, and what it has to do with Sally. The other mystery concerns Sally's father's death, The Seven Blessings, Bedwell, and whatever Mrs. Holland is blackmailing Mr. Selby about. Mrs. Holland has become involved in both mysteries, beginning by trying to procure the Ruby, then discovering the second mystery through the drug-induced ranting of Mr. Bedwell. Sally has suddenly been thrust into danger and intrigue, and now has to unravel the many confusing threads of these two mysteries. It seems that Marchbanks wants her to have the Ruby, but Mrs. Holland will stop at nothing to get it. Meanwhile, Bedwell has information that is important to Sally, but she cannot get this until she finds a way to liberate him from Mrs. Holland's clutches. All of Sally's options include going up against Mrs. Holland, who has already decided that Sally is an enemy who needs to be killed. Sally will have to be very careful as she proceeds. Mrs. Holland demonstrates how evil she can be in these chapters. She is keeping a young girl called Adelaide, who should be at school, as her personal servant. Adelaide tells Jim that she is absolutely terrified for her life, fully believing that Mrs. Holland will kill her and bury her in the garden with the previous servants if she misbehaves. Mrs. Holland clearly does not care about Adelaide at all, and given how easily she orders Sally's murder, it is very likely that she has indeed killed her previous girls and will do the same to Adelaide with little thought. Mrs. Holland also keeps Bedwell prisoner in her house, deliberately supplying him with opium so that she can keep him in a permanently drugged state. She knows that this is having a terrible effect on him, but she does not care. She only wants the information he is giving her, and will do anything to get what she wants. When Bedwell is no longer useful, she fully intends to drown him. Until very recently she had never met Bedwell before, and he had never done any harm to her. She does not hate him; she simply thinks of him as something to be used and then thrown away. Clearly she has no respect for human life, and only cares about her own goals. Marchbanks was terrified of her, and even large, hardened criminal men like Mr. Hopkins are afraid, allowing themselves to be ordered around by her. At the end of these chapters Mrs. Holland orders Sally's death as if she is sending Mr. Hopkins out for groceries. In these ways, Mrs. Holland has already been painted as a force to be reckoned with, as a cruel and ruthless woman who will stop at nothing, even murder, to get what she wants. Now she is Sally's enemy and wants her dead, and the reader can see the great danger that is beginning to close in around Sally. Suspense heightens as the reader feels anxious for Sally's safety. These chapters provide a deeper look at just how dangerous Mrs. Holland can be. She threatens and attacks a pawn shop owner who has done nothing to her, and who simply happens to have bought the wrong item off the wrong person. Mrs. Holland does not care about him; she only wants to get the papers that will take her to the Ruby. The shopkeeper is lucky that he got away with his life. The next person they visit is the thief. He is a drunk young man who is half passed-out, and hardly dangerous. Nevertheless, Mrs. Holland instructs Mr. Berry to beat him up, and when he says he will give her

what she wants, she tells Mr. Berry to hit him again, simply because he has gotten in her way. Mr. Berry is more violent and dangerous than Mr. Hopkins was. He has been to prison already, and seems to have no conscience about obeying Mrs. Holland's commands. Mr. Hopkins shied away from killing Sally, but Mr. Berry is not likely to. Adelaide seems to be convinced that there is no hope for any of them, and that Mrs. Holland will find them no matter where they are. On top of this, it looks like Mr. Selby has now become Sally's enemy too. There is danger closing in on all sides, but Sally has good, loyal friends to help her. They have already proved their bravery and their willingness to fight. In these chapters we see the criminal activities of Mrs. Holland contrasted sharply with Sally's life at Burton Street. Mrs. Holland is fierce, cruel and unrelenting. She orders people around and makes them fear her, but she has no real friends or family. She has no-one to support her out of loyalty alone, and instead she must manipulate everyone to get what she wants. She is completely obsessed with the Ruby, and is getting angrier and angrier at being thwarted. She will happily harm or kill anyone who gets in her way, thinking nothing of blackmail and physical assault. Sally, on the other hand, is kind and generous, and places a lot of value in friends. Her friends support her because they care about her and are loyal to her. Unlike Mrs. Holland, she is not completely obsessed with the Ruby. She is anxious to solve the mystery and to escape the danger of Mrs. Holland, but she does not spend every waking hour thinking about this. Instead, she focuses on the shop and trying to help Frederick's business. She talks to Rosa and tries to make Adelaide feel at home. Burton Street is a happy and carefree place, so different from Mrs. Holland's evil lodgings. Even Adelaide is starting to come out of her shell at Burton Street, spending more time with Trembler and enjoying exploring London with him. Jim likes to hang around the shop at weekends and is also helping out with the new business venture. When one of them needs something, the others will naturally help, without having to be manipulated or cajoled. This means that things are achieved faster than for Mrs. Holland, who seems to be constantly frustrated in her goals. These chapters show that although the two groups of people are caught up in the same mystery and intrigue, Mrs. Holland and her cronies could not be more different from Sally and her friends. Ironically, although Sally and Mrs. Holland hate each other and are rivals for the Ruby, they are also similar in some ways. Both Mrs. Holland and Sally were bought for the Ruby. In Mrs. Holland's case, it was her body, love and respectability that were bought. In Sally's case, it was literally her whole self that was bought. Both were exchanged for a jewel, and so both were considered to be as valuable as the Ruby. However, while the Ruby was actually given up for Sally, the Maharajah refused to give it to Mrs. Holland. In other words, Mrs. Holland was not judged to be worth it after all. No wonder Mrs. Holland hates Sally so much. Sally was worth the jewel when Mrs. Holland was not, and now Sally is set to receive the Ruby from Marchbanks as inheritance, when Mrs. Holland gets nothing once again. Mrs. Holland sees the Ruby as belonging to her all along, as it was promised to her before the Maharajah gave it to Lockhart and Lockhart gave it to Marchbanks. Both Mrs. Holland and Sally are linked in this way by the Ruby. They were both judged to be as valuable as it, both sold for it, and are both strong, independent women. Sally is considered beautiful, just as Mrs. Holland was in her youth. However, for all their similarities, they are also very different. Sally is fair where Mrs. Holland is dark haired. Sally is kind and gentle where Mrs. Holland is cruel and vengeful. Mrs. Holland has been corrupted by an unkind world, whereas Sally seems to face her problems and difficulties and push through them, not allowing herself to become a bitter person because of them. Mrs. Holland has killed for the Ruby, whereas Sally does not even want it. Mrs. Holland uses others and makes them fear her, whereas Sally makes real friends and gains loyalty through love. Sally is not corrupted by greed or her 'right' to the Ruby. When Sally chooses to throw the Ruby in the river, she proves that she is unlike Mrs. Holland after all.