And Then There Were None

After breakfast Vera and Emily Brent wait for the motorboat. Vera is overcome with panic. Miss Brent is frustrated for being tricked so easily into coming to the island. They discuss the other accusations made on the tape besides the one against Mrs. Rogers. Lombard clearly admitted to leaving 20 people to their death. Vera says they were “only natives,” but Miss Brent reprimands her and says that they are still their brothers (89). Emily Brent adds that some of the other accusations are more far-fetched, like the one made against Justice Wargrave, who was simply doing his duties. She claims that the accusations made against her were also ridiculous, but she didn’t believe it was appropriate to discuss such matters in front of gentlemen.

Emily Brent tells Vera that the victim of her alleged crime, Beatrice Taylor, was “not a nice girl” (90). She claims that Beatrice deceived her into thinking she was modest and polite, but she in fact had “loose morals” (90). When Beatrice found herself pregnant, Emily Brent was disgusted and threw her out. Abandoned and ashamed with nowhere to go, Beatrice drowned herself in a river. Emily Brent has no remorse and tells Vera that Beatrice’s sins drove her to die by suicide.