What Happens

Three months later, at the offices of the lawyers Twisden and Graviter, Charles Winsor and Margaret Orme discuss the progress of the Dancy-De Levis case, which is now in court. Winsor remarks that the case has become a general sensation, with many of the public taking sides and “a general feeling that there’s something behind it all that doesn’t come out.” Mr. Twisden enters, and Winsor says that, as General Canynge is giving evidence tomorrow, there is something Twisden and Dancy should know. He then says it was raining when the theft occurred, and the General noticed that Dancy’s sleeve was damp. They decide that Margaret will inform Dancy of this, and she leaves the office with Winsor to find him.

Mr. Gilman, a grocer, comes to consult Twisden. He has a £50 banknote, the serial number of which has been circulated in the newspapers as one of the notes stolen from Ferdinand De Levis. He received this money from a wine merchant named Ricardos, and when Twisden questions him, Ricardos reveals that Dancy paid him a large sum of money in compensation for seducing his daughter. As Twisden discusses what to do with his partner, Graviter, Mabel Dancy enters and asks how the case is going. He reassures her that everything is going well but, after she leaves, decides that he must tell Dancy’s barrister about Ricardos’s evidence and withdraw from the case.

The next morning, Dancy comes to Twisden’s office. Twisden tells him that the evidence of his theft has been discovered and advises him to leave the country immediately, pointing out that, as an experienced soldier, he might go to Morocco and fight in the war there. General Canynge comes to the office and agrees with this plan, saying that he can obtain a position for Dancy in the Spanish army. While they are considering what to do, De Levis enters. He says that now he has been proven right, he does not want the money back or even his legal costs. He is “done with the damned thing” and leaves abruptly.

Dancy goes home and tells Mabel that the case is over and he is guilty of stealing De Levis’s money. He also admits that he took it to pay compensation to a woman he had seduced, though their relationship ended before he married Mabel. Mabel tells her husband that he should go to Morocco and she will follow him, but before they can go anywhere, the police are knocking at the door. Dancy enters the bedroom, and Mabel tries to stall the police inspector, who has a warrant for Dancy’s arrest. Dancy shoots himself through the heart, having left a note for Major Colford, which begins with the words: “This is the only decent thing I can do.”

Why It Matters

In the final Act of Loyalties, the suspicions of Dancy’s friends crystallize into certainties. It is remarkable how little this changes their attitudes: Mr. Twisden and General Canynge are happy to help Dancy flee the country. Major Colford wants to remain Dancy’s friend and shakes his hand. His wife, Mabel, is willing to stay with him, even when she finds that he stole the money for another woman. Although Dancy is disgraced, he remains a member of the English upper class, and his reaction to his situation is typical of his tribe. His instinct is to expiate his guilt on the battlefield, and when he is unable to do this, he shoots himself.

Major Colford’s last words, “All right, old boy!” can be seen as ironic but may also be read as a confirmation that he approves of Dancy’s suicide and regards it as the most honorable course of action for someone in Dancy’s position. For the other members of his class, Dancy will always be an insider whatever he does, just as the Jewish De Levis will always be an outsider however generously he behaves.