Miss Benson's Beetle

This summary section includes the chapters entitled: “London, December 1950”; “You Have Very Good Legs”; “Back on Track”; “The Last Place”; and “Killing the Thing You Love.”

In London, December 1950, the police investigate the Collett murder and answer questions from news reporters. They state that Nancy Collett must have remained in the house with the corpse of her husband for several days, and that there were signs of suffocation along with knife wounds on the corpse. When she left home, Collett was carrying a red valise that might contain important evidence. The police traced her movements to a ship bound for Australia. She was seen embarking in the company of a tall woman whose head was cropped out of their only photo; they do not know Margery’s identity.

In Noumea the following morning, Enid goes out to fetch breakfast and returns with a jeep, telling Margery that she was able to buy it cheaply. The women load up their gear along with a stray dog that Enid has adopted and christened Mr. Rawlings. Enid drives them wildly into the mountains.

Soon, Margery discovers that they are being chased by a police car. Enid refuses to slow down until Margery grabs the wheel and forces the car to stop. Enid admits that she stole the jeep, and the policeman is chasing them because she removed the license plates. Margery’s head spins from all these new disclosures. Enid suggests they offer the policeman a bribe. He accepts it and lets them continue on their journey.

Back at sea, Mundic enjoys his crossing to the island, keeping a journal of his sights and activities and “Sometimes [watching] other people, just so he could collect their names and put them in his Book of Miss Benson” (145). He occasionally has psychotic episodes related to his time as a POW in Burma, but he manages to avoid losing control by focusing strictly on the present moment.

On the island, Margery and Enid drive to a little village called Poum, where Margery has arranged to rent a bungalow for three months while they conduct their beetle hunt. They will camp in the mountains but return weekly to the hut for supplies. Their little house is filthy, but Enid surprises Margery by scouring it and making it more comfortable. Enid even creates a little study where Margery can organize her research materials, and Margery feels very grateful to her assistant for this kindness.

Margery flashes back to memories of her mentor at the Natural History Museum. She met the middle-aged Professor Smith when she was still a teenager. He didn’t laugh at her dream of finding a golden beetle in New Caledonia and encouraged her research. As Smith tells her, “The entomologist is not a beetle murderer. It is a case of killing what you love in order to preserve the whole species” (157). Over the years of their association, Margery becomes smitten with the professor. He seems to show a similar inclination towards her, too. 

This summary section includes the chapters entitled “Mist, No Mist”; “A Gun Is Not an Option”; “Cutting Paper Shapes and Stars”; and “Every Day We Keep Climbing.”

The expedition gets off to an inauspicious start. Mist clings to the mountain so thickly that Margery and Enid are delayed for three days. When they finally do begin their climb, they need to hack a path through thick vegetation. They are miserable and blistered until Enid discovers a mountain pool. She immediately dives in nude for a swim. It takes several minutes for Margery to relax enough to strip to her underwear and join her.

That night, the women struggle to make camp. Margery has never put up a tent before, and Enid has never assembled a hammock. As they settle in for the night, Enid confesses that Taylor tried to detain her at Brisbane and took all her money, but Enid escaped and stole his gun. Margery is horrified as she remembers her father’s gun and all the blood after his death. She makes Enid promise to get rid of the gun by burying it somewhere along their trail. Then, she tries to fall asleep in the hammock but passes a terrible night while Enid sleeps like a baby.

Back in Noumea, the wives of British officials have their weekly craft session. Gossip turns to the break-in at the Catholic school. The French authorities are convinced that a British citizen was responsible and have started checking the paperwork of every British national who came to the island. Mrs. Pope is determined to find out who’s responsible.

Miles away, Margery and Enid continue hacking their way to the top of the mountain. At the end of each week, they return to their hut to preserve the specimens of other insects that they’ve found and collect fresh supplies. Margery struggles with the terrain and the heat, but Enid seems to be having the time of her life.

Despite Margery’s continued discomfort, the two make solid progress and reach the mountain’s summit a few days before Christmas. This is much sooner than Margery’s anticipated deadline of February. From the heights, they pause to savor the beautiful view below them. When they camp, Enid confides something of her past. She says that men haven’t always been kind to her and that her husband was sexually attracted to men. Enid also perceives that Margery’s violent reaction to the gun is because she lost someone that way and offers sympathy. Even though Margery never cried when her family died, she now bursts into tears.