Gaudy Night Finale Part II

Peter is summoned back to a diplomatic mission, but before he goes Harriet goes to the room of Miss De VIne, the history tutor. She finds the room in darkness, and suddenly is attacked. Having the collar on protects her but she is knocked out and has to go to hospital. Peter has to leave soon but he tells Harriet that he can explain the mystery now and they have a meeting with the Dons. He reveals that the poison pen writer is Annie, one of the Scouts. He has found out her history, how she was married to a young academic, of a better class. She was his land lady's daughter. He was called Arthur Robinson. He had submitted an MA thesis to his college, and Miss De Vine was the examiner. The dons are astonished because Annie seemed a quiet refined little woman, a widow with 2 children who are boarded out. The head of college says that she wants Annie to be called in to hear the accusations against her. It turns out that Robinson cheated on his thesis, finding some evidence that contradicted it, and hiding it because he didn't want to have to write it all again. Miss De Vine exposed him and he lost his chance to be an MA. He went downhill, and lost his job and killed himself, leaving Annie very poor. In anger she clearly decided to pursue the woman who had as she saw it hounded him to death and she hated all academic women. She tells Peter that she did it and she'd do it again. That she despises middle class women like the dons who neglect their husbands and take on men's work... and who dont know what real hard work is. She breaks down, and is led away, and Peter is shaken. He wishes he had been able to stop the scene. Afterwards, Harriet apologises to Peter for getting upset and angry, and they go to a concert together. She tells him that the dons have decided not to prosecute Annie who was clearly a highly nervous case and could not understand why the academics reacted as they did. They will treat it as a medical case. Peter tells her that he is sorry for his behaviour over the last 5 years, of chasing her when she kept telling him she did not want to marry him. He was selfish and unkind. She says that she was sick of herself and could not respond to loving advances. But being at Oxford has given her back her self respect. He tells her that he will propose once more and whatever she says he will respect it. He asks her to marry him, in Latin and she says yes. But Peter has to go abroad on his diplomatic business, leaving her iwith his signet ring.....