Summary
Marian Delmar, a woman of cultivated independence, finds her precarious post-orphanage existence sustained by an enigmatic monthly stipend from a professional acquaintance of her late architect father, a Mr. Varcoe. This presumed legacy enables her pursuit of painting and a life of modest grace. However, Varcoe's sudden demise severs this vital lifeline, plunging Marian into uncertainty. Her quest for answers leads her to John Hartfield, a man whose integrity shines despite his father's notoriously sharp, if morally compromised, legal career. John unearths a disquieting truth: the remittances were not an inheritance, but rather an act of charity, a revelation that deeply wounds Marian's proud spirit. Further complicating this revelation is the grim news that Varcoe's son, Olin, a man utterly consumed by decadent dissipation, is on his deathbed.
Driven by an almost visceral need to expunge the perceived indignity of charity, Marian, against John’s earnest counsel, resolves to repay this 'debt' by nursing the dissolute Olin back to health. Olin, with a chillingly morbid glee, accepts her offer. This bizarre compact transports them to the remote, gothic grandeur of the Varcoe ancestral estate on the St. Lawrence River. Here dwells Mrs. Varcoe, Olin's supposed mother, a reclusive invalid for four decades, attended only by a fiercely devoted, aged family physician and a retinue of silent Indian servants within a house whose peculiar, unsettling furnishings betray a deeply troubled mind. Olin's arrival stirs palpable fear and misgiving in Mrs. Varcoe, who, paradoxically, finds immediate solace and connection in Marian's compassionate presence. Marian's attentions subtly shift, now primarily focused on alleviating the long-suffering matriarch, much to the chagrin of the jealous old doctor.
Meanwhile, John, relentless in his pursuit of truth, discovers a hidden compartment containing architectural blueprints. These documents reveal the true nature of Marian's father's 'debt': he was the uncredited genius behind the elder Varcoe’s professional successes, and the remittances were, in fact, a contractual recompense, not alms. The estate's dark secrets deepen when Olin's depravity culminates in the exploitation of an Indian servant girl, a transgression that inadvertently exposes his own illegitimate parentage – he is the product of his father's affair with an indigenous woman. Despite John's persistent appeals for her departure, Marian's burgeoning affection for the frail Mrs. Varcoe anchors her to the unsettling household. The narrative culminates in a dramatic crescendo as Olin, intent on one final, decadent bacchanal, invites his dissolute city friends. He traps Marian in a secret passage, but is rescued and Olin wounded by John and another Indian. Mortally injured, Olin crawls to the Indian huts on the estate, finding his final embrace in the arms of his Indian grandfather. In the aftermath, Marian and John commit to a shared future, while the old doctor's zealous devotion to Mrs. Varcoe is revealed to be far more profound than mere professional interest.
Synopsis
Marian Delmar's architect father has died without an estate, though she thinks he has left her a settlement of some sort. From the time of his death, a member of his profession, Varcoe, has sent her a monthly remittance with enables her to live decently and study painting. Then Varcoe dies, leaving no instructions regarding the remittance and no reason why his son Olin should continue it. John Hartfield, whose father has been a lawyer of doubtful integrity but unquestionable shrewdness, is now the one Marian turns to when her remittance fails to arrive. He subsequently informs her that the remittance seems to have been a matter of charity on the late Varcoe's part; incidentally, his son Olin is dying from his wild dissipation and morbid excesses. Marian's independent nature revolts at having been an object of charity, and against John's pleading she decides to pay the debt by nursing Olin back to health. She offers her services as nurse, and Olin exhibits a wicked joy at engaging her. All repair to the old Varcoe home on the St. Lawrence, where lives Mrs. Varcoe, whom her supposed son has never seen; she has been an invalid for 40 years, faithfully attended by the old family physician in a house with Indian servants, and strange furnishings that must have been the expression of a morbid brain. When Olin meets Mrs. Varcoe, whose son he is supposed to be, he seems to inspire her with fear and misgiving. She is immediately impressed with Marian, whose attentions are now directed to the old lady's health. The aged doctor's jealousy of Marian in her efforts to relieve Mrs. Varcoe creates frequent friction. Through the finding of certain plans in a secret compartment, John finds that Marian's father was the real brains behind the elder Varcoe's success; hence, the remittance by agreement. Olin's morbid nature drives him to take advantage of an Indian girl in his household, and the consequence is the exposure of the secret that he himself is the offspring of such an affair on his father's part. Meanwhile, John constantly tries to dissuade Marian from continuing in this atmosphere, but a strong affection has developed between Marian and the kind old lady that furnishes the incentive for her to remain. Olin is determined to have one more big fling before he passes away, and invites a number of his dissipated city friends to spend the weekend. Olin traps Marian in a secret passage, but another Indian and John rescue her and wound Olin. Olin crawls to the Indian huts on the estate where the remainder of his mother's tribe dwelt, and dies in the arms of his Indian grandfather. Marian and John determine to travel the road of life together, while the old doctor gives evidence that his devotion to his equally-venerable patient was not purely professional interest.
