The Bondwoman’s Narrative: Chapter 3: Progress in Discovery Summary & Analysis

Mr. Trappe—the man who served as the mistress’s guardian between the death of her father and her marriage—stays on through the winter. Hannah learns more about him from Lizzy, the mistress’s personal maid, a  “delicate Quadroon” who takes great pride in her White heritage, even though it hasn’t saved her from a life of enslavement and trauma. Lizzy tells Hannah that the mistress’s father made Mr. Trappe the executor of his will, and she details how Mr. Trappe’s attitude toward the mistress changed after he gained access to a secret hidden in her father’s papers. She makes cryptic remarks about Mr. Trappe’s desire to “sell” the mistress, which she refuses to explain.

The mistress treats Hannah and Lizzy more as “companions than servants,” asking them to keep her company during the day and allowing both to read freely from her collection of books. The master is fond of the mistress but does not, Hannah observes, seem to notice how stressed Mr. Trappe’s extended stay makes her. Hannah wonders what secret knowledge he holds.

One day, a letter arrives for Mr. Trappe, which alarms the mistress. The next morning, while Hannah sits hidden behind a curtain in the drawing room, secretly reading a book, she overhears a tense conversation between the two about the letter and their “agreement.” Mr. Trappe reminds the mistress that he had expected her to provide him with a generous monthly stipend, a house, and servants in exchange for keeping her secret safe. She protests that she can’t help the fact that she lost all her money when her bank failed, and that she’s tried to keep her end of the bargain by providing him with lodging at Lindenhurst. Mr. Trappe says he’s only accepted the hospitality so that he could keep an eye on her while he planned his next move.

Having discovered that the master is also too poor to take over the mistress’s obligations, Mr. Trappe says that he plans to get the money he wants from her father’s creditors, who will pay for the knowledge that there is some “valuable property” left over from her father’s estate. The mistress maintains a defiant silence, so Mr. Trappe reminds her that she could have avoided this unfortunate situation if only she’d agreed to marry him back when he first asked. But, he recalls, she said she’d rather be “the veriest slave in existence” than marry an “old man” she didn’t love.

Ignoring the mistress’s pleas for mercy, Mr. Trappe refuses to tell her anything about the letter except that it touches on “business” connected with her. He’s leaving today to conclude this business, but he warns her he will be back soon. In the meantime, he “command[s]” her to stop the “mop[ing]” and “pin[ing]” that are sapping her beauty and that might make her husband suspicious. And above all else, he orders her not to make an attempt on her own life. Then, he insists that they must part as “friends,” and he forces her to shake his hand.