Mr Wrong’s Imprisonment

Mr Wrong’s imprisonment does not settle the question of what he did to Mary Lamb / Amy Hide; instead, the news of her survival changes his account, and his eventual release turns a past confession into a possible future danger. The novel marks his confinement through information delivered by Prince: first, that Mr Wrong has recanted while still serving time; later, that he is free and has spoken of coming for Mary Lamb / Amy Hide.

Confession and Recantation

Prince tells Mary Lamb / Amy Hide that Mr Wrong, identified as the author of the confession to her murder, has taken the confession back. The reason given is specific: Mr Wrong was informed that she was alive and well. His reversal therefore follows a change in what he knows, rather than any reported discovery about the circumstances of her supposed murder. The account makes his confession consequential but not conclusive evidence about what happened.

Prince adds that Mr Wrong had continued to maintain the story for a considerable time, until he was convinced that Mary Lamb / Amy Hide had survived. He had said that he did it because she asked him to. That assertion complicates the recantation: his earlier account attributed agency to her, while the later denial comes after the premise of her death has been disproved. The text does not establish whether either version is true, or explain what Mr Wrong believed had happened when he first confessed.

Confinement and Its Limits

When Prince reports the recantation, Mr Wrong is not free. Prince says he still has time to serve, and explains that they waited because they wanted to get him on other matters. The exchange distinguishes the changing confession from the fact of his continued confinement: learning that Mary Lamb / Amy Hide was alive prompted his retraction, but did not immediately bring his release.

The novel gives no precise sentence length or full account of the legal basis for Mr Wrong’s imprisonment in these scenes. Prince’s reference to wanting to get him on other matters indicates an effort to pursue additional wrongdoing, but does not specify charges or their outcome. What is clear is that imprisonment functions as a temporary restraint, not as a resolution of the danger associated with Mr Wrong. His confinement has an endpoint, and Prince’s later warning makes that endpoint matter.

Release and Renewed Threat

In a later telephone call, Prince tells Mary Lamb / Amy Hide that Mr Wrong is out: he has completed his time and is moving through the streets. Prince also reports that Mr Wrong said something about coming to get her, while acknowledging that the meaning of the remark is uncertain. The threat is conveyed second-hand; the scene does not show Mr Wrong approaching her or establish what he intends to do.

Prince says that they will keep an eye on him and expects to see Mary Lamb / Amy Hide again. His warning links Mr Wrong’s release to an ongoing need for vigilance, even though the earlier confession has been withdrawn. The contrast is sharp: custody had kept Mr Wrong away, but its conclusion leaves the possible danger unresolved. The novel does not present release as proof that he is harmless, just as the confession alone did not establish the truth about the alleged murder.

Mary’s Response and Narrative Significance

Mary Lamb / Amy Hide treats Prince’s warning as unimportant. After ending the call, she moves toward the window and lights a cigarette; when Jamie asks who called, the scene does not give her answer. Her subdued reaction contrasts with the gravity of the information Prince has just delivered. Rather than making the warning a dramatic confrontation, the narrative lets it enter an ordinary moment and leaves its effect uncertain.

Across the two reports, Mr Wrong’s imprisonment creates a sequence of altered expectations: a confession, a retraction prompted by proof of survival, continued confinement, and finally release accompanied by a reported threat. The account preserves important uncertainty at each step. It does not resolve whether Mr Wrong committed the murder he confessed to, whether his statement about Mary Lamb / Amy Hide asking him to act was truthful, or what he means by saying he will come for her. His imprisonment therefore matters both as a limit on his access to her and as a temporary condition whose end restores the possibility of contact.