The Catspaw

Summary

Milville, a town ripe for a moral overhaul, becomes the stage for an audacious, meticulously orchestrated scheme when Kittredge St. John, a figure of enigmatic resolve, reconnects with his former confederate, the cunning Roxane Bellairs. Their shared objective: to purge the local establishment of its latent corruption. Kittredge, however, harbors a clandestine strategy, a labyrinthine plot he guards even from Roxane. He enlists an individual strikingly identical to himself in physiognomy and cultured demeanor, tasking this doppelgänger with the innocuous duty of social representation, a mere stand-in for public appearances. Simultaneously, Roxane, with calculated charm, infiltrates the inner circles of Milville's elite, cultivating favor with Major Holbrook and the influential Mr. Bonwit of the town's prominent bank. The social machinations culminate at Mrs. Shackleton's opulent ball, a crucible where romantic entanglements begin to unravel Kittredge's carefully constructed artifice. The double, ensnared by the charms of Dorothy Paget, departs the soirée with Major Holbrook for a clandestine card game, leaving Roxane consumed by a searing jealousy. Mistaking the enamored doppelgänger for Kittredge, her possessive fury threatens to derail their intricate plan. Concurrently, the Milville bank suffers a daring robbery under the cloak of the ball's festivities, with detectives swiftly identifying Kittredge St. John as the culprit. Yet, the double, apprehended in his stead, is exonerated by Major Holbrook's unimpeachable alibi, a testament to his presence at the card game. The narrative further thickens as Mr. Bonwit, utterly captivated by Roxane's allure, lavishes upon her a cascade of extravagant gifts and financial largesse. Their impending engagement is celebrated with another grand dinner party hosted by Mrs. Shackleton. During the repast, the domestic tranquility is shattered by another audacious burglary; a maid, entering a private chamber, discovers Kittredge himself at the household safe. Her shriek of discovery pierces the evening, but Kittredge, with practiced agility, vanishes into an adjoining property. The guests, however, remain oblivious to the true nature of events. Convinced that the double, whom they still believe to be Kittredge, is enjoying a pastoral retreat with Dorothy Paget's family in the countryside, they dismiss the maid's frantic testimony as an improbable fabrication, highlighting the profound power of misdirection and the unsuspecting nature of a society beguiled by appearances.

Synopsis

In Milville, Kittredge St. John meets his old confederate, Roxane Bellairs, and they decide to "clean up" the town. Kittredge has a scheme, he tells Roxane, which he is going to keep secret even from her. He employs a cultured man, who is the exact double of himself in appearance, and instructs him that his duty will be to represent him at social functions as Kittredge St. John. Roxane works her way into the good graces of Major Holbrook and Mr. Bonwit, of the Milville hank. Society in Milville is entertained at Mrs. Shackleton's ball. The double, in love with Dorothy Paget, leaves after the ball in company with Major Holbrook, for the club for a game of cards. Roxane, who sees what is going on between the double and Dorothy Paget, becomes jealous, believing that the man is Kittredge. During the night of the ball, the Milville bank is robbed, and detectives discover Kittredge St. John as the burglar. The double is arrested but proves an alibi by Major Holbrook. Mr. Bonwit is in love with Roxane and lavishes gifts and money upon her. In honor of the engagement, Mrs. Shackleton gives a dinner party. While the guests are in the dining room, the house is robbed and the maid finds Kittredge at the safe, screaming her discovery, but Kittredge escapes into the next house. The double, however, is in the country with Dorothy Paget's family. Believing the double in the country to be Kittredge, the guests discredit the maid's story.