An Eye for an Eye

The story of the poor mad woman who still proclaims in her seclusion the justice of the deed which she did, has now been told. It may perhaps be well to collect the scattered ends of the threads of the tale for the benefit of readers who desire to know the whole of a history. Mrs. O'Hara never returned to the cottage on the cliffs after the perpetration of the deed.

Plot declared told; cliff cottage abandoned after the killing — revenge arc closed as residual madness — so plot scores 87.

Kate O'Hara was in face very like her mother;--strangely like, for in much she was very different. But she had her mother's eyes,--though hers were much softer in their lustre, as became her youth,--and she had her mother's nose, but without that look of scorn which would come upon her mother's face when the nostrils were inflated.

Soft Kate vs scornful mother — hereditary face that forecasts who will avenge — so cast scores 86.

As he was returning to Ennis Neville was so far removed from immediate distress as to be able to look forward without fear to his meeting with the two ladies at Ardkill. He could as yet take his Kate in his arms without any hard load upon his heart, such as would be there if he knew that it was incumbent upon him at once to explain his difficulties.

Moment of load-free embrace before duty crashes — mid-book calm before cliff — so pace scores 85.

eye for an eye," she says to the woman who watches her. "Oh, yes, ma'am; certainly." "An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth! Is it not so? An eye for an eye!"

Biblical title reduced to asylum daily chant — prose as obsessive law — so prose scores 86.

At a private asylum in the west of England there lives, and has lived for some years past, an unfortunate lady, as to whom there has long since ceased to be any hope that she should ever live elsewhere. Indeed, there is no one left belonging to her by whom the indulgence of such a hope on her behalf could be cherished.

English asylum as permanent elsewhere — world of confinement after Irish cliffs — so world scores 87.

At a private asylum in the west of England there lives, and has lived for some years past, an unfortunate lady, as to whom there has long since ceased to be any hope that she should ever live elsewhere. Friends she has none; and her own condition is such, that she recks nothing of confinement and does not even sigh for release.

End-state before cause — hook as already-doomed witness — so hook scores 90.

The story of the poor mad woman who still proclaims in her seclusion the justice of the deed which she did, has now been told.

Narrator frames whole novel as explanation of one asylum refrain — form as gloss on lex talionis — so innov scores 88.

Mrs. O'Hara never returned to the cottage on the cliffs after the perpetration of the deed. On the unhappy priest devolved the duty of doing whatever must be done. The police at the neighbouring barracks were told that the young lord had perished by a fall from the cliffs, and by them search was made for the body.

Official 'fall' story vs mother's justice chant — ending splits public lie and private law — so ending scores 88.