Chapter 44 Summary: Pierrot

⚠️ 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

Frobisher, now off duty, walks the Soho beat, visiting jewellers and pawnbrokers to see if anyone recognises a locket belonging to a dead girl found in a river. The longer the locket stays in his pocket, the more responsible he feels for her. None of the shopkeepers recognise it, though many double as fences for thieves. He moves on to a shop in Meard Street, where a glass counter displays trinkets: a christening bracelet, a signet ring, and a small gold and blue enamel bird brooch. The jeweller calls the colour bleu de France and says it is French, fin de siècle. Frobisher haggles the price down from five pounds to two, plus a box, and buys it as a gift for Lottie. On the back is a tiny engraving, “To my Dearest,” which he regards as a transferable sentiment.

He then does the rounds of opticians, but no one recognises the dead girl’s spectacles. He makes it to the Austin showroom in Oxford Street just before closing, collects his new car, and drives at a snail’s pace, having only driven once before. As he drives, he daydreams about taking Gwendolen Kelling on excursions: lunch at the Eagle in Amersham, exploring the southern coast, or visiting places like Hastings, Broadstairs, Rye, Cookham, or Reigate. His daydreaming leaves him lost in Piccadilly Circus, which is undergoing building work for the Underground station. He circles several times, unable to find an exit. He notes that the statue known as Eros is actually his brother Anteros, representing charitable and selfless love rather than erotic passion, and he feels uncomfortable with the thought of erotic love.

Eventually he escapes and, at the junction with Swallow Street, stops at a barrel organ player surrounded by cages of canaries, budgerigars, and kittens. On top of the organ, instead of a monkey, sits a small terrier dressed in a Pierrot costume with a conical hat. Frobisher asks to buy the dog, but the organ-grinder refuses. Frobisher echoes the jeweller’s line, “Everything’s for sale,” but the man will not part with the dog. He returns home to Ealing, where Lottie is in a sunny mood and has made bouillabaisse. She has already pinned the brooch to her blouse and greets him affectionately. Frobisher dislikes fish soup but clears his plate and asks for seconds, grateful for the change in her mood.

Key Events

Frobisher walks the Soho beat, showing the dead girl’s locket to jewellers and pawnbrokers; none recognise it.
At a Meard Street shop, he buys a blue enamel bird brooch for Lottie after haggling from five pounds to two.
He visits opticians, but no one recognises the dead girl’s spectacles.
He collects a new Austin car and drives it for the first time, daydreaming about taking Gwendolen Kelling on drives.
He gets lost in Piccadilly Circus due to building work and reflects on the statue of Anteros, mistaken for Eros.
He stops at a barrel organ player and tries to buy the dog in a Pierrot costume, but is refused.
He returns home to Lottie, who is cheerful and has made bouillabaisse; she has already pinned the brooch to her blouse.

Character Development

Frobisher’s sense of guilt deepens in this chapter. The locket belonging to the dead girl weighs on him, and he feels a personal responsibility for her even though he never knew her. His attempt to trace the locket and spectacles shows his commitment to the investigation, but also his need to impose order on a case that offers little evidence.

His romantic longing for Gwendolen Kelling emerges through his daydreams of driving her to various destinations. Yet he is uncomfortable with erotic love, as his reflection on Anteros suggests. He buys the brooch for Lottie partly out of affection, but also out of guilt over his thoughts about Gwendolen. The engraving “To my Dearest” is generic enough to be transferable, hinting at his ambivalence.

His observation about the dog in the Pierrot costume—that dogs rarely have free will and are constantly at the whim of someone else—leads him to reflect that people are not so different. This moment reveals his awareness of the constraints that shape his own life, both in his work and in his personal relationships.

Lottie appears in a rare good mood, and her affectionate greeting and the brooch pinned to her blouse suggest a warmth that Frobisher is eager to encourage. He eats the bouillabaisse he dislikes to show gratitude, indicating his desire to maintain harmony at home.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Pierrot motif: The chapter is titled “Pierrot,” and the dog wears a Pierrot costume. Frobisher notes that he began the day with a Pierrot and ends it with one, suggesting the Fates are laughing at him. Pierrot, a stock character from commedia dell’arte, is often associated with melancholy and unrequited love, which mirrors Frobisher’s own emotional state.
Everything for sale: The jeweller’s line “everything’s for sale” is echoed by Frobisher when he tries to buy the dog. This motif underscores the commodification of objects and even living creatures in Soho’s underworld, and raises questions about value, sentiment, and ownership.
Guilt and responsibility: The locket becomes a symbol of Frobisher’s guilt and his sense of duty toward the dead girl. His gift-buying for Lottie is also tinged with guilt over his daydreams about Gwendolen.
Freedom and confinement: The new car represents freedom and the open road, but Frobisher gets lost in Piccadilly Circus, suggesting that escape is not straightforward. The dog’s lack of free will parallels the constraints Frobisher feels in his own life.
Eros and Anteros: The statue in Piccadilly Circus is actually Anteros, the god of selfless love, not Eros. Frobisher’s discomfort with erotic love highlights his conflicted feelings for Gwendolen and his preference for a more charitable, less passionate form of affection.
Fate: Frobisher’s remark that the Fates are laughing at him suggests a sense of being controlled by larger forces, a recurring theme in the novel.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter deepens Frobisher’s interior life, revealing his guilt, his romantic yearnings, and his discomfort with desire. It also advances the investigation, though without progress: the locket and spectacles remain unidentified. The introduction of the car opens up possibilities for future plot developments, particularly the imagined drives with Gwendolen. The Pierrot motif and the “everything for sale” theme reinforce the novel’s exploration of Soho’s moral economy and the ways people and objects are traded. The chapter also shows the fragile equilibrium of Frobisher’s relationship with Lottie, setting up potential tensions as his feelings for Gwendolen grow.

Study Questions and Answers

Question 1

Why does Frobisher buy the blue enamel bird brooch for Lottie, and what does the engraving “To my Dearest” suggest about his motives?

Answer 1

Frobisher buys the brooch because he thinks Lottie, being French, would appreciate its beauty, but also out of guilt over his daydreams about Gwendolen Kelling. The engraving is generic and transferable, indicating that his gesture of affection is not entirely sincere or specific. He is giving a token that could apply to anyone, reflecting his emotional ambivalence.

Question 2

How does the episode at Piccadilly Circus reflect Frobisher’s state of mind?

Answer 2

Frobisher gets lost while daydreaming about driving with Gwendolen, showing how distracted he is by romantic fantasies. The statue of Anteros, mistaken for Eros, prompts him to think about different kinds of love, and he feels uncomfortable with erotic love. This suggests that his feelings for Gwendolen are complicated and that he is not ready to embrace passionate desire.

Question 3

What is the significance of the dog in the Pierrot costume and the organ-grinder’s refusal to sell it?

Answer 3

The dog, dressed as Pierrot, represents a lack of free will and the performance of emotion. Frobisher’s attempt to buy it echoes the jeweller’s “everything’s for sale,” but the refusal shows that some things are not commodifiable. This contrasts with the Soho underworld’s trade in objects and people, and highlights the limits of Frobisher’s power to control his environment.