Chapters 21 and 22 Summary

In Chapter 21, Ferdinand Arundel, or more truthfully Frederick Arbuthnot, is astonished to see his wife and is even more astonished to find her embracing him with a fervor she had not shown him since the early days of their relationship. He finds himself embracing her back, kissing her, and feeling a warmth of intimacy and affection he has not felt in years, reflecting as he does so on how her faith came between them and eventually drove him into a kind of exile in London. He is briefly confused when she refers to his coming quickly in response to her letter, but soon realizes the truth of what happened and kisses her harder. Their intimacy is interrupted by Briggs who is followed by Mrs. Fisher, annoyed at having another husband there but pleased that this is probably the last of them...