While the setting in most parts of the book is in keeping with the tenor of the action, in this section contrast is employed with poignant effect. Rose is in the prime of her life and has been flourishing like the springtime flowers. It is a painful incongruity that the blooming girl should be singled out for death at this time. Oliver finds the threatening calamity impossible to deal with until the funeral of a young person in the graveyard teaches him that no life is safe.
The arrival of Harry Maylie on the scene marks the beginning of a romantic subplot. Coming as it does late in the book, this line of action can be of only secondary importance, but it will at least gratify one of the expectations of many readers. Bringing Harry and Rose together does, however, serve to indicate the existence of yet another mystery. On the surface of things, there has been no sign why Rose should not be a suitable wife for Mrs. Maylie's son. The reader wants to know what secrets are in force here.
