At the beginning of this chapter, the narrative is handed over to Clithero; rather than writing a letter to a distant recipient, he speaks in the first-person to Edgar in the moment.

The tale begins with Clithero’s meager birth to peasants in the county of Armagh. A lady, Mrs. Lorimer, later fosters him in the capital, Dublin. She educates Clithero alongside her son, and Clithero acts as the son’s “monitor” while travelling on the continent. The son tires of Clithero’s reports to Mrs. Lorimer and sends him back to her household. 

Clithero then details Mrs. Lorimer’s positive traits: beauty, beneficence, cheerfulness, and more. Despite their class difference, his constant closeness to her while completing his duties earns her confidence. She tells him what occurs at events that peasants cannot attend.  

Clithero’s describes Mrs. Lorimer’s twin brother, Arthur Wiatte. Wiatte is the opposite of Clithero’s employer: depraved, wicked, and “pure unadulterated evil” (63). Wiatte makes Mrs. Lorimer the “subject” of his schemes.

Prior to Clithero’s arrival in the capital, Arthur’s machinations kept Mrs. Lorimer from marrying her desired suitor and forced her to marry another husband, after which the twins’ parents died. The inheritance fell to Arthur, who gambled the money away.