That Hideous Strength

Mark returns to Belbury with the intent of finding out what he’s supposed to do for the N.I.C.E. He goes to see Cosser but finds him conversing with Steele. Neither seem to have time for him, and when he presses Steele about his job, he gets nowhere. Angered anew, Mark goes to the D.D.’s office but faces the same aloofness. The D.D. is in a meeting with a man named Stone and suggests that Mark make an appointment with his secretary.

On his way to the secretary, Mark runs in to the Fairy. They go to her office, where Mark sees her female assistants, known as Waips. She tells him that he can’t bother the D.D., and that he needs to stop wondering about what he’s supposed to do and to stop asking questions about any “certainty.” She then tells Mark that he can help her with a project. Alcasan is to be rehabilitated and she needs Mark to write contradictory articles about him. Mark scoffs at the idea of being a journalist. The Fairy presses the matter and says that owning the Left and Right are important, especially because it keeps both sides on their toes. The Fairy (and Mark, by extension) can keep the populace duped by owning the printed word. Mark takes offense when the Fairy says that educated people are the easiest to brainwash because they have already been conditioned by the papers. Mark continues to say that he won’t stick around with the N.I.C.E. as he doesn’t understand what he’s meant to do. The Fairy assures him that he will much prefer to be on the side of the N.I.C.E than on the opposite side. When Mark continues to refuse, the Fairy’s cordial manner changes and she suggests that he go see the D.D. about his resignation. Mark tries to reenter her good graces, but the Fairy doesn’t budge. Mark leaves, wondering about his position at Belbury and what his next step will be.

The next day, Mark meets with the D.D. and tells him his intent on leaving due to the fact that he doesn’t know the particulars of his job. The D.D. is aloof, as usual, though he gives Mark a contract to look over. Mark decides to look the form over and, in the meanwhile, try and secure more info on his job and salary. Every time he brings up one of these items to the D.D., however, he finds himself more confused than ever by Wither’s noncommittal attitude. When Mark leaves the D.D., he finds a letter from Curry waiting for him. Curry states that the College is sorry to hear Mark is resigning his post (which they’ve heard from Feverstone). Curry then asks Mark if he has any knowledge of Laird, and if Laird is a suitable replacement. He also mentions the “fracas,” which resulted in the Henrietta Maria window being shattered. Mark is angered at the fact that Feverstone has gone behind his back and put false words into his mouth. He decides to write to Curry, to make things clear, but realizes that any letter he writes will most likely be shown to Feverstone, and he wonders if he might lose both his place at Belbury and Bracton due to this miscommunication. In his reply, he tells Curry that he is not resigning his fellowship and that he is thinking about leaving the N.I.C.E. but hasn’t yet made up his mind. He then says that Laird is a poor choice for a fellowship position.

Mark spends the rest of the day trying to stay out of everyone’s way. He feels as if he’s already been judged and that there isn’t a place for him. He meets Stone in a hallway and attempts to speak to the defensive man, but the D.D., who walks aimlessly about the halls, interrupts their awkward attempt at conversation. Mark then finds Feverstone and talks to him about his position at Belbury. Feverstone admits that Mark needs to get back on the D.D.’s good side and that he needs to stop thinking about security. Mark also presses him about the resignation, and Feverstone says the Fairy mentioned that Mark was resigning. Mark takes offense, and in his rudeness, he irritates Feverstone. Feverstone tells Mark to change his attitude and his way of going about things or he will regret it. Mark leaves, annoyed, and realizes that, with the slight threat from Feverstone, if he leaves Belbury, then he will also lose his position at Bracton.

Jane, who tries not to sleep so that she won’t have to deal with her dreams, goes to town and sees the Dennistons. They invite her to lunch, and when she accepts, they ride out of town and have lunch in their car, as it’s raining out. Mr. Denniston (Arthur) then tells Jane about their reason for seeking her out. He says that they are staying at St. Anne’s with others, and that they are led by a man named Mr. Fisher-King. When his sister died in India, she gave him a large sum of money on the condition that he take her name, hence his moniker of Fisher-King. He has an injured foot now, from his latest bout of traveling. His sister had a friend named the Sura, who was a great Christian mystic. The Sura disappeared, but before he did, he foretold of a great calamity befalling the human race, one that would begin in England. Before Mrs. Fisher-King died, she handed this problem to her brother. A group of people were foretold that they would flock to him and aid him. He would be the Head. One such person would be a seer, and the group believes that Jane is that seer. Jane says that she doesn’t want to get involved in anything, though she admits that she dreamed of Hingest’s murder. Camilla knows that Jane is reluctant after her meeting with Miss Ironwood but implores her help. Mr. Denniston cautions his wife. He reminds her that the Head, or Pendragon, would want Jane to help them freely; they can’t force or influence her. He then tells Jane she has to trust them. The other issue, however, would be whether or not Mark would object. The Head—or the people he works for—wouldn’t approve of a woman working for them without the husband’s permission. Jane takes offense to this. The Dennistons want Jane to meet the Head. Jane says she will inform them if she has any new dreams, but that’s all she can do at present. 

Mark sees Wither, the D.D., yet again, with the intention of securing a job. The D.D. is colder and remains aloof. He tells Mark that the N.I.C.E. doesn’t want someone who has made enemies of everyone in his first week, and who seems to have a disagreeable demeanor. Mark is utterly dejected by Wither’s tone, and it’s only after this line of speech that Wither offers a probationary job, one that Mark accepts immediately. Mark tries to find out more info, but Wither again chastises him on wanting security. He reminds Mark that elasticity is how the Institute runs. He warns him against trying to press anyone for a solid job description. Instead, Wither says, Mark must make himself useful, and he must also remain concentrated on the task at hand, whatever it is. Mark wants to tell Wither off, but he remembers that he is the breadwinner for himself and Jane. Humiliated, he leaves with at least the probationary job. As soon as he leaves, he finds that he is in better spirits again. The Fairy talks to him and asks him about Alcasan. She says that he needs to remember that elasticity is key, and, above all, to never bother Wither.

The whole of England becomes enveloped in fog, though the people of Edgestow think it better not to see the destruction being leveled by the working crews. Feverstone and Frost meet with Busby and inform him that the Wynd will be diverted so that it will no longer run through Edgestow. They also want the piece of land that abuts the college. Busby refuses and has to call a meeting. The land is eventually sold, and as soon as it is, the N.I.C.E. turns it into a dumping ground. Everyone blames Bracton College for the destruction of the town, even undergraduate students, who stop attending lectures. There are also violent incidents taking place in the streets on account of the violent men working for the N.I.C.E. These incidents never make it into the papers, however. One paper suggests that the local police are unable to handle all the problems. All the hotels, too, fall under the purview of the N.I.C.E., so that there is no longer anywhere to stay. The entire town is flooded with the N.I.C.E.’s workers.

Jane takes little notice of the changing environment. She has a recurring dream where she’s lying in bed and a man—the man with the pince-nez—is monitoring her. She figures that he knows her face well, since she knows his face well from her dreams. She doesn’t tell this information to the people at St. Anne’s, however. Meanwhile, Mark works steadfastly on the rehabilitation of Alcasan alongside the Fairy’s second-in-command, Captain O’Hara. Mark has been writing articles about Alcasan in the papers. When he mentions money issues to O’Hara, the Captain tells him not to worry, as the N.I.C.E. will own all money. Mark and O’Hara then talk about Hingest, whose case has been labeled as a murder by someone unknown. Meanwhile, Curry presides over Hingest’s funeral. The entire time, work is going on around the chapel, with expletives and noise interrupting the solemn affair.

Due to Mark’s obedience, he’s allowed into the library, which is a sanctum for the inner circle. People like Feverstone, Filostrato, the Fairy, and Straik convene in the library, and Mark is ecstatic to be among the in-crowd. The D.D., Wither, is also a part, but he hasn’t spoken to Mark since the humiliating meeting. The Fairy tells him Wither will warm up to him again, but it will take time. When Mark tests out his status by going into the library alone, he is relieved that he is welcomed. The Fairy asks him if he can write two articles for her. Mark learns from the group that the violence and demonstrations in town have all been planned by the Fairy. There is to be a final, large demonstration. The result is to get emergency powers bestowed. Mark is shocked, even more so because the articles he’s to write are about a demonstration that hasn’t taken place yet; that is, he is to write the news before it happens. He knows it’s criminal, but he agrees to help anyway.

The first article praises the work of the N.I.C.E. and its effectiveness at overcoming bureaucracy and handling the escalating calamities. The success of the N.I.C.E. is due to the N.I.C.E.’s police force, the article suggests. The second article is a more direct piece that takes a tone of anger at what is happening in Edgestow. The paper’s suggestion is that, as the local police can’t handle the violence, the Institutional Police should be brought in and given jurisdiction. Mark feels proud of the articles and his role in writing them, believing that he has been given an important job.

Jane has another dream. This time, she’s in a dark chamber and happens upon a corpse. She runs her fingers along the corpse and sees that the corpse is very old and yet “divinely young” (133) at the same time. When she goes into town later, to find a replacement for Mrs. Maggs, she sees a N.I.C.E. car. To her horror, a man with a pince-nez—the man from her dreams—is getting into the car. Jane tries not to be seen, though she walks right past him. She then takes the train immediately to St. Anne’s. To her surprise, the manor at St. Anne’s isn’t covered by fog, like the rest of the country is. From the manor’s height, she’s able to see other islands of clarity, like the hills above her home in Sandown, where she picnicked with the Dennistons.