Humphrey Wells’s Rise and Fall

The Portable Door

This thread follows Humphrey Wells from concealed betrayal and predatory business tactics to defeat by the partners he tried to control.

increasing

Bearing strength in each event

decreasing

An Ambitious Nephew An Ambitious Nephew from "The Portable Door". An Ambitious Nephew Resentment in the Firm Humphrey Wells grows impatient with John Wells’s refusal to retire and plots to take control of the business.

An Ambitious Nephew from "The Portable Door". An Ambitious Nephew Resentment in the Firm Humphrey Wells grows impatient with John Wells’s refusal to retire and plots to take control of the business.

An Ambitious Nephew Resentment in the Firm Humphrey Wells grows impatient with John Wells’s refusal to retire and plots to take control of the business. Ethical Division John Wells objects to Humphrey’s dishonest methods. Their conflict concerns both ownership and the kind of work the firm should do.

The Senior Partner Imprisoned

The Senior Partner Imprisoned A Hidden Transformation Humphrey Wells removes John Wells from the firm through powerful magic, leaving the partners to accept a cover story about his disappearance. A Problem Deferred With John absent, Humphrey gains room to pursue his plans. The missing senior partner’s survival remains an unresolved threat.

Dangerous Negotiation Dangerous Negotiation from "The Portable Door". Dangerous Negotiation A Lethal Demonstration Humphrey Wells saws a woman in half during a negotiation and delays restoring her until the opposing client…

Dangerous Negotiation from "The Portable Door". Dangerous Negotiation A Lethal Demonstration Humphrey Wells saws a woman in half during a negotiation and delays restoring her until the opposing client…

Dangerous Negotiation A Lethal Demonstration Humphrey Wells saws a woman in half during a negotiation and delays restoring her until the opposing client agrees. Power Without Restraint The spectacle shows Paul Carpenter and Sophie Pettingell that the firm’s magic can be used as coercion, not merely service.

The Final Threat The Final Threat from "The Portable Door". The Final Threat Captives and Ultimatums Humphrey Wells binds his opponents and uses Rosie’s apparent death to force Arthur Tanner to surrender the talisman.

The Final Threat from "The Portable Door". The Final Threat Captives and Ultimatums Humphrey Wells binds his opponents and uses Rosie’s apparent death to force Arthur Tanner to surrender the talisman.

The Final Threat Captives and Ultimatums Humphrey Wells binds his opponents and uses Rosie’s apparent death to force Arthur Tanner to surrender the talisman. A Familiar Cruelty He turns personal grudges into instruments of control, confident that secrecy and fear will preserve his position.

A Photocopier’s Sentence A Photocopier’s Sentence from "The Portable Door". A Photocopier’s Sentence The Balance Reverses John Wellington Wells returns and uses magic against Humphrey Wells.

A Photocopier’s Sentence from "The Portable Door". A Photocopier’s Sentence The Balance Reverses John Wellington Wells returns and uses magic against Humphrey Wells.

A Photocopier’s Sentence The Balance Reverses John Wellington Wells returns and uses magic against Humphrey Wells. The conspirator’s control ends in a single decisive reversal. Punishment by Transformation John turns Humphrey into a photocopier, condemning him to the frustrations and abuse of ordinary office life.

Before John Wells disappears in 1877

The period surrounding John Wells’s disappearance

During the children’s party assignment

At the boardroom confrontation

Moments after John Wellington is freed