Twenty Minutes with Mrs. Oakentubb - Summary

SUMMARY

Mrs. Oakentubb arrives by train at a country railway station. It was a stormy night. So that she could warm herself. From here, she was going to catch a train, which was due to arrive in twenty minutes, to take her to Stainthorpe, her hometown.

As she takes off her gloves and spreads her hands to the fire, a man comes in. He too was going to Stainthorpe, by the same train as Mrs. Oakentubb.

The two, start a conversation, as the porter leaves. The Man tells Mrs. Oakentubb that he is going to Stainthorpe to meet a lady by the name of Mrs. Oakentubb. He says, I saw a photograph of her in a newspaper, but couldn’t tell how she looked like. He says I am going to meet her, on a very important matter. During the discussion, the Man accuses her of murdering his wife and daughter in a car accident. Mrs. Oakentubb defends herself by saying, that it was an accident. The police called it manslaughter. Mrs. Oakentubb had gone to a cocktail party and was driving very fast to win a bet of £5/=. Mrs. Oakentubb killed Man’s wife and daughter. The police sentenced her to eighteen months’ imprisonment, which she had served.

But the Man is not satisfied with the punishment given to her. He wanted to punish her and take revenge, for ruining his family life, besides killing his wife and daughter. So, the Man pulls out his revolver to kill her. But Mrs. Oakentubb fools the Man by convincing him that he would be doing her a favor, by killing her, whereas, if she were alive, she would continue to suffer mentally, as she would continue to see the crushed dead bodies of his wife and daughter. This horrible scene, the picture of the accident will haunt her forever, which is unbearable for her. She holds her hand and makes an appeal he pushes her down and she falls to the ground and starts weeping.

The Man believes her and leaves the waiting room. As soon as he is gone, she jumps to her feet in joy and “puts her fingers on the nose, at him.”

Suddenly the door opens and the Man comes in to take his luggage What he sees, makes him very angry He pulls out his revolver and shoots. She falls dead Thus, the Man takes his revenge. . . . . .