(urth) The Nebraskan and the Nereid

[Gerry Quinn]

From: "Mo Holkar" <lists at ukg.co.uk>
> At 14:25 17/04/2011, Gerry wrote:

>>Further evidence: Wolfe does not just say that the bed was unmade (this 
>>would have been enough to link the girl to the maid, if that was all that 
>>was intended).  He notes also that the Professor complained to the 
>>landlady. This is typical Wolfe IMO, dropping an important plot point in 
>>an aside. When the landlady in turn complained to the maid, she would have 
>>learned that the Professor had not recognised her, or he would have said 
>>nothing about the bed. (Or if he had recognised her and complained, that 
>>would have been worse.)  So her dreams of life with him were over, or so 
>>she thought anyway, though perhaps she underestimated the ability of men, 
>>especially professors, to not notice stuff... (Had she persevered, I 
>>suspect a happy outcome was still possible.)
>
> Yes, this interpretation makes it an even sadder story than I'd thought... 
> although he has previously seen the maid as 'dumpy', so perhaps he would 
> still have been repelled on realization.

'Dumpy' yes, when she was the maid... but earlier, when he compared his 
glimpse of her to 'Dr. Papamarkos', he thought she was 'rounder'.  Nor was 
he apparently repelled in the cave.  I am inclined to think that she was no 
more than pleasantly plump; he thought of her as 'dumpy' when he was not 
paying attention to her.

- Gerry Quinn