Chapter 26 Summary: A Kidnap, a Raid and a Small Fire

⚠️ Spoiler Warning: This guide contains detailed spoilers for the entire novel. Proceed only if you've finished reading or are comfortable knowing the plot.

Summary

The chapter opens with Kitty left alone at Hanover Terrace, as usual. She wanders through her sisters' bedrooms, taking a fox-fur tippet from Betty's wardrobe, applying Shirley's blood-red lipstick, and borrowing two shillings from Edith's dressing-table. In Edith's room she finds an opened note dated that day, signed 'A x', confirming a meeting at Pinoli's at seven. Kitty is intrigued that Edith has an admirer.

Kitty sets out for the Amethyst on foot, since no cab has been arranged and she has no money. While waiting on the pavement, a man in a car pulls up, opens the passenger door, and invites her to 'hop in' for a spin. Kitty, remembering her sisters' warnings about such offers, declines, but the man grabs her arm and tries to pull her inside. She screams 'Murder!' at the top of her lungs until he releases her, laughing that she is 'more trouble than she's worth'—a phrase that will follow her for life.

Meanwhile, Betty and Shirley arrive at the Pixie to find a small kitchen fire. Bertha, the deaf-mute sandwich maker, has already extinguished it by throwing baking soda on the flames, having been alerted by the smell of paraffin. She reports that a flaming rag was tossed toward the gas burners by an unseen hand. The fire brigade arrives, but Betty and Shirley, following Nellie's unspoken policy, promise to contact the police but do not. They send Bertha home with five pounds from the till.

At the Sphinx, Ramsay is about to leave when a police raid is announced by a klaxon. The bar, along with Gerrit the barman, revolves into a hidden recess, leaving only a painted wall. The staff and patrons quickly clear away any incriminating glasses and bottles, so when the police enter, nothing is amiss. Gerrit reappears from a secret door, and Ramsay is astonished that he was never told about these mechanisms.

Walking to the Amethyst, Ramsay, still under the influence of whatever Gerrit injected him with, feels paranoid and followed. He sees a black cat and thinks of the mummified cat in the Sphinx, then of Tutankhamun's curse. He is suddenly surrounded by a drunken troupe in fancy dress—a mummy, Bo-Peep, a bear, and a harlequin—who circle him menacingly before he breaks free and runs off.

At the Amethyst, Nellie questions Ramsay about the raid and then Kitty about her ordeal. Kitty reluctantly describes the man and his car: a yellow Mercedes-Benz Sports Phaeton. Nellie recognizes the car as belonging to Azzopardi, having seen it parked outside the Goring hotel earlier. She concludes that Maddox is behind the raid and the fire, while Azzopardi is behind the kidnap attempt. Nellie reflects that Maddox wants to destroy her business, while Azzopardi seems to be playing a game with her.

Key Events

Kitty searches her sisters' rooms, stealing a fox-fur tippet, lipstick, and two shillings, and discovers a note from an admirer to Edith.
A man in a yellow Mercedes-Benz tries to pull Kitty into his car; she screams and escapes.
A small fire at the Pixie is started deliberately with a flaming rag; Bertha extinguishes it with baking soda.
Betty and Shirley conceal the arson from the police, following Nellie's unspoken rule.
A police raid on the Sphinx is foiled by a revolving bar that hides itself; Ramsay is unaware of the mechanism.
Ramsay, high on drugs, is surrounded by drunken partygoers in costume but manages to escape.
Nellie questions Ramsay and Kitty, learns the kidnapper's car, and identifies Maddox and Azzopardi as the culprits.

Character Development

Kitty shows her reckless curiosity and resourcefulness. She steals without guilt, investigates her sisters' belongings, and even fantasizes about what might have happened if she had gone with the kidnapper—imagining a ransom scenario with hot buttered toast or a life of iced buns and lemonade. Her near-abduction leaves her more intrigued than frightened, and she resolves to accept the next offer 'just to see what happened.' Nellie's warning, 'Curiosity killed the cat,' underscores Kitty's dangerous impulsiveness.
Ramsay is increasingly unstable. His drug use—cocaine, morphine, or something 'funny'—makes him feel fragmented and paranoid. He is humiliated by his ignorance of the club's hidden mechanisms, and his encounter with the costumed revellers feeds his fear of being pursued. His mother's probing questions only deepen his sense of being judged.
Nellie demonstrates her sharp, controlling nature. She immediately assesses the threats: Maddox's arson and raid are attempts to destroy her business, while Azzopardi's kidnap attempt is a game to frighten her. She is also shown to be a 'living ledger,' calculating the cost of everything, including her children's futures. Her earlier discovery of a witch's bag under her mattress (mentioned in the chapter) reveals her superstitious side, though she denies it.
Betty and Shirley are loyal to Nellie, concealing the arson from the police even though they know they will be blamed. Their banter about style over substance and their willingness to lie for their mother highlight their complicity in the family's criminal world.
Edith is revealed to have a secret admirer, a detail that surprises Kitty and hints at a private life beyond Nellie's control.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Arson and sabotage: The deliberate fire at the Pixie is a direct attack on Nellie's business, echoing the earlier Lucky Cat fire that was ruled an accident but was likely insurance fraud.
Kidnapping attempt: The man in the yellow Mercedes represents a new threat, one that targets Nellie's family rather than her clubs.
Police raid and concealment: The revolving bar and the staff's swift cleanup illustrate the theme of deception and hidden mechanisms, both literal and metaphorical.
Maternal control: Nellie's interrogation of Ramsay and Kitty, and her insistence on knowing everything, show her need to control her children's lives, even as she neglects them emotionally.
Social climbing: Nellie's ambitions for Betty and Shirley to marry into the aristocracy are detailed, contrasting with their own desires for independence.
Drug-induced altered states: Ramsay's paranoia and hallucinations are fueled by the drugs Gerrit gives him, blurring the line between reality and nightmare.
Superstition and witchcraft: Kitty's earlier discovery of a witch's bag under Nellie's mattress, and Ramsay's thoughts about the mummy's curse, introduce an element of the supernatural and the irrational.
Criminal rivalry: The chapter makes clear that Nellie faces two distinct enemies—Maddox, who wants to destroy her, and Azzopardi, who seems to toy with her.
Class and social status: The contrast between the aristocratic suitors Nellie desires for her daughters and the 'Canadian railroad millionaire' Betty is seeing highlights the importance of titles over money.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter escalates the central conflict of the novel by bringing together multiple threats against Nellie's empire. The arson, the raid, and the kidnap attempt are all failed attacks, but they reveal the extent of the danger Nellie faces from both Maddox and Azzopardi. It also deepens our understanding of Kitty's character, showing her vulnerability and her reckless curiosity, which will likely lead to further trouble. The revolving bar and the secret door at the Sphinx introduce a motif of hidden mechanisms that reflects the deceptive nature of the Coker family's world. Finally, Nellie's identification of the two culprits sets the stage for her next move, making this a pivotal chapter in the novel's plot.

Study Questions and Answers

Why does Kitty decide to take Edith's two shillings, and what does this reveal about her character?

Kitty takes the money because no one has arranged a cab for her and she has no other funds. She justifies the theft by reasoning that Edith won't miss it. This shows her entitlement and her willingness to bend rules when it suits her, as well as her sense of being neglected by her family.

How does the revolving bar at the Sphinx function as a symbol in this chapter?

The revolving bar is a literal hidden mechanism that allows the club to evade police raids. Symbolically, it represents the Coker family's ability to conceal their illegal activities and present a false front to the world. Ramsay's ignorance of the mechanism underscores his outsider status within his own family's operations.

What does Nellie's reaction to the kidnap attempt reveal about her priorities?

Nellie is more concerned with identifying the perpetrator and assessing the threat to her business than with Kitty's emotional state. She immediately connects the yellow Mercedes to Azzopardi and concludes that he is playing a game with her. This shows that Nellie views even her children's safety through the lens of her criminal rivalries, prioritizing the protection of her clubs over her daughter's well-being.