Thank Goodness!

“The next day I made inquiries as to how I could be appointed the guardian of Mary Dempster...I experienced a remarkable rising in my spirits, which I can only attribute to the relief of guilt.” (Pg. 152)

At this point in the novel, Mrs. Dempster’s aunt has died and Dunstan is given permission to be the guardian of Mrs. Dempster, as set out in the will. This is an important time in Dunstan’s life as he feels a sense of relief from the guilt associated with Mrs. Dempster. He feels that restitution for the trouble he caused will be made if he becomes Mrs. Dempster’s guardian and caretaker. The relief of guilt is significant because for his whole life, Dunstan has not be able to forgive himself for what happened to Mrs. Dempster, but now he is finally able to try to put it behind him. Dunstan also feels that if he takes this duty of caring for Mrs. Dempster, she “would be (his) saint.” This further brings up the theme of saints and hagiology. Dunstan is still unsure whether she is a true saint or not but it entices him to study hagiology more in-depth.