The Dear Departed by Edgar Saltus
Trella Verelst, an immensely wealthy and beautiful American woman living in Paris, receives a telegram from her estranged husband, Shane Wyvill, Earl of Cloden, announcing that he will arrive that night. Her past is then traced from her upbringing as the granddaughter of Commodore Verelst, whose fortune enabled her mother to establish several European homes and enter fashionable society. At Monte Carlo, Trella meets Wyvill during a musical evening and is immediately captivated by him. Wyvill, handsome, well dressed, and heir to an impoverished earldom, has been disillusioned by earlier affairs but falls equally suddenly in love. Their courtship advances with extraordinary speed: they become engaged within a week and marry in Paris within a month, despite Mrs. Verelst’s objections that Trella should make a grander match. Their honeymoon journey through Spain begins in intense mutual passion, but Trella’s fascination with Wyvill soon weakens. She delights in the admiration she receives and is flattered by the attention of the Duke of Thule, a royal visitor whom she encounters at San Sebastian. Back in Paris, Wyvill sees Trella driving through the Rue Royale at an hour when she later claims to have been with her mother. Suspecting deceit, he confronts her at dinner. Before the quarrel can develop further, he receives news that his uncle has died and leaves for England. During his absence, Trella writes repeatedly, eventually offering an explanation. When Wyvill returns, she claims that she had secretly gone to help a disgraced brother whose troubles she had concealed out of delicacy. Moved by her tears and by the music that recalls their first meeting, Wyvill forgives her. They reunite, and Mrs. Verelst, now pleased by Trella’s status as a peeress, offers to restore Shane Towers. Trella prefers the prospect of her new social position, and the couple later spends the season at Deauville in the Villa Portugaise. The Duke of Thule takes a neighboring villa and becomes a frequent visitor. Wyvill gradually notices Trella’s repeated illnesses and disappearances, while an overheard remark at the races suggests that the duke is her lover and that her husband tolerates the situation. Though he initially resists the suspicion, Wyvill becomes obsessed. Late one night, after Trella has withdrawn to her room, he sees a light and a man’s shadow through her curtains. He enters through the window and strikes the man, who falls against the mantel and dies. The duke’s guards rush in and identify the dead man as His Royal Highness. Trella escapes to her mother. Wyvill does not pursue her, deciding that nothing useful can be said to a woman who no longer cares for him. Trella and Mrs. Verelst leave France, and Trella obtains a divorce in the Dakotas on grounds of cruelty and desertion. Public opinion accepts the account that Wyvill was a sullen drunkard, while Trella generously declares that she forgives him. She never speaks of the Duke of Thule, whose death is publicly attributed to pneumonia.
By Edgar Saltus · First published 1910 · Genre: Psychological Novel, Satire, Literary Fiction · 5 chapters · 9,136 words
First lines
One by one the guests had gone, and with Trella now there was but a poet who had elevated rhyme to the dignity of a sport. His name was Villiers. In addition to rhyme and other gymnastics less violent, he cultivated paradox. At the moment, he was twisting his painted fingers, fumbling his hostess with his yellow eyes. Then, pontifically, he addressed her:
"There is but one enduring delight -- certainty in love. Certainty that it exists, certainty that it is returned, certainty that it will never diminish."
What this Textopian page supports
The Dear Departed is listed on Textopian as a short story by Edgar Saltus, dated 1910 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Short story
- Author: Edgar Saltus
- Date: 1910 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Psychological Novel, Satire, Literary Fiction, Tragedy, Domestic Drama
- Length: 9,136 words
- Structure: 5 chapters, 138 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Fairly Easy (7th Grade)
Good citation fit
- Work identity for The Dear Departed by Edgar Saltus
- Canonical title URL and first readable passage URL
- Genre and topic classification from the Textopian catalog
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Genres
- Psychological Novel — The narrative is fundamentally centered on characters' inner states, particularly Wyvill's escalating jealousy, emotional confusion, and moral deterioration as he perceives changes in Trella's behavior. The work explores consciousness, introspection, and the psychological toll of doubt and betrayal rather than external action.
- Satire — Saltus persistently critiques aristocratic society, social hypocrisy, empty morality, and superficial conventions through ironic commentary and wit. The narrator constantly observes and mocks the pretensions of Belle Époque society, depicting how social rules enable and conceal moral corruption.
- Literary Fiction — The work emphasizes ornate, sophisticated prose style as central to meaning, employing classical allusions (Dante, Molière, Theocritus), extended metaphors, and wordplay. Language itself is treated as an art form, with rhythm and phrasing integral to the narrative's effect.
- Tragedy — The narrative follows classical tragic structure: protagonist's rise through passion, internal flaws (pride, jealousy, conditional trust), growing complications, climactic violent confrontation, and irreversible loss. The marriage ends in destruction and emotional death, with no redemption or reconciliation possible.
Tags
fiction · novel · American literature · early twentieth century · literary fiction · social satire · high society · wealth · marriage · romance · scandal · morality