“There was not much in it; neither gold nor gems; only a baby’s little worsted shoe rolled up in a piece of paper, and a tiny lock of pale and silky yellow hair, evidently taken from a baby’s head. Phoebe’s eyes dilated as she examined the little packet.”
This passage at the end of the third chapter is both startling, and extremely telling. Some really great points about this passage were made in Jumpman’s post yesterday, and this post will also attempt to make sense of this strange passage. There passage within itself is very unusual, even how the small packet is described is odd and off putting. The fact that the secret package contains both a baby shoe and a lock of baby hair might not have been odd for a woman during the era to keep, however the way these items dealing with babies are contrasted with descriptions of that make them seem old and worn-out is off putting. A baby’s shoe being described as “worsted” and even the hair described as “pale yellow” gives these objects an unsettling aura. It makes the reader wonder what could have possibly happened to the child if these items are so beaten up and worn out. This items also add intrigue and mystery to Lady Audley herself and reveal traits about her character. We of course wonder why it is she has these items and what they tell about her life, but even the way their hidden adds to Lady Audley’s enigma. The items are stuffed in the secret compartment of a chest of jewels and rolled up in a piece of paper in a little packet. This is purposely reminiscent of the ring rolled in paper that Lady Audley carries around her neck. She has an entirely unique way of folding away her secrets and stashing them like a squirrel. It makes us wonder what other secrets she has hidden away in the vast house that is a character all its own.
The passage and the following sentences also reveal something about Phoebe, as she excites at the discovery of the items and actually takes them with her. It seems that she will use them to her own advantage but what is it that she will convey about Lady Audley with them? Are the readers perhaps missing a piece of vital information that Phoebe is somehow aware of? We learn that where they were hidden away, with gold and jewels, is important as well when Phoebe says to Luke “You will bear me witness where I found this.” Either way, her excitement at the discovery not only shows their importance but also makes us hesitant to trust Phoebe and even more suspicious of Lady Audley.