The House of Doors

Lesley throws a small farewell party for Willie, inviting only her brother and sister-in-law and Peter Ong and his wife. The latter couple surprises Robert, who has not seen Peter in years. Lesley attends the party wearing her Nyonya kebaya; everyone but Robert compliments her appearance. She chats pleasantly with Peter, whose wife couldn’t attend. Geoff subtly indicates surprise at Peter Ong’s inclusion in the party, but Lesley comments that the affair no longer bothers her.

Over dinner, Lesley watches the friendly camaraderie between Gerald, Peter, and Robert, as well as how Willie watches Gerald; their affection causes her to miss Arthur, whom she hasn’t heard from in 11 years. She thinks of the commingled grief and the relief she felt when Arthur went to fight in the revolution. Unable to speak of her love and loss, she uses discussion of Dr. Sun to remember Arthur. She recalls trying to write down their story but scattering the pages in the sea when the act did not give the closure she desired.

She encounters Willie smoking on the verandah. She asks about Verlaine and Rimbaud, and Willie reports that their affair ended after Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the wrist and Rimbaud had him arrested. Lesley comments that they each “fell in love with the wrong person,” but Willie counters that he “only made the mistake of […] marrying the wrong one” (288). Willie warns that writing of her affair will ruin her marriage, but Lesley disregards this. She knows Willie will not even allude to Robert’s affair so as to not draw attention to his own relationship. She says she has not used Arthur’s real name, either. She has decided to go to Africa with Robert. The next morning, Robert tells her he wishes her to stay in Penang, but Lesley insists on accompanying him.

The Hamlyns sell Cassowary House and pack their belongings. They attend a party where they watch Noel Hutton dance with a much younger Chinese woman, whom he later marries.

Doornfontein, South Africa, 1947

Lesley engages in her nightly ritual, which she adopted since Robert’s death: sitting on their porch with a glass of wine, and a second glass poured for him, while she tells him about her day. She reflects that she misses comfortable silence between them more than their conversation. She discusses receiving the copy of The Casuarina Tree, which she says was not one of his favorites.

She thinks back to her adjustment to life in Doornfontein, including becoming part of a community that places less value on social connections, a value Lesley learned to share. Robert’s health improves after their relocation, and they begin taking horseback rides together. On one ride, they encounter ostriches, which Robert observes remind him of cassowaries. Geoff reports that, while Willie visited Malaya again, he met distrust from the inhabitants, who disliked that Willie had included them in his stories. “The Letter,” a 1926 Maugham story, tells Ethel’s story, though the main character in Maugham’s tale is named “Leslie.” Lesley thinks the story creative, though Robert calls it “impertinent.” Lesley mentions Ethel’s comment about her husband making her kill Steward, and Robert confides that Ethel’s lawyer, Polley, told the High Commissioner of the Federated Malay States that he believed Steward’s murder to be premeditated but could not reveal as much in court, given his duty to his client. William Proudlock had discovered his wife’s affair and was blackmailing Steward; Steward eventually turned the tables and blackmailed Proudlock. Proudlock consulted a lawyer about the legal consequences of a woman shooting a man who attempted to rape her. Proudlock threatened to divorce Ethel if she didn’t shoot Steward, and her father agreed with the plan, leaving Ethel nowhere to go if her husband divorced her. Further evidence suggested that Ethel was illegitimate and of biracial “Eurasian” descent. Lesley wishes she had been more sympathetic to Ethel and marvels at how closely Willie unknowingly came to the truth.

In 1925, Lesley receives a letter from Geoff that includes Dr. Sun’s obituary, which mentions that he divorced his wife and married the daughter of a rich man. His partner, Chui Fen, is not mentioned, and Lesley wonders about her, as well as about Arthur. Geoff continues to send news about Willie, including his divorce and acquisition of a villa by the sea.

In 1938, Robert suffers a heart attack and dies five days later. He urges Lesley to return to Penang after his death. She is surprised at how sad she is over his death. She remains in Doornfontein. Her son James dies in World War II, in Malaya. Geoff dies as well.

In the narrative present, Lesley lingers on the porch as the night cools. She wonders about Willie and reads “The Letter” again, which spurs memories of Cassowary house. She thinks about the surreal experience of watching the film adaptation and seeing Bette Davis play Ethel. She wonders if Ethel knows about the story and feels betrayed. She doesn’t regret telling Willie the story, however, as she has “prevented her from being erased from history” (302). She looks at the symbol on the front, the hamsa bisected to resemble the doors at the House of Doors. It’s the first message she’s received from Arthur in 40 years. She thinks to the letter she will write back to Arthur and the travel arrangements she will make.