Chapter 4

The story so far: Lutwidge Finch, secretly betrothed to Lady Tabitha, is delayed in Town, attending to the affairs of his recently deceased friend Bradley Ghoulrich, thus giving the Earl of Choir the opportunity to escort Lady Tabitha to Tattson Hall. Meanwhile, Colonel Carter has run off with the mysterious prostitute Nan, raising the suspicions of his landlady, Mrs. Griggs.

The Reverend Belcher, hopelessly in love, searches for Nan in vain. Hepzibah Schlierbeck, the moneylenderess, dreams of ensnaring the penniless Earl. Now we meet several new personages, as the Scene shifts to the Countryside...