New York’s subway system began running in 1904, only seven years prior to the story’s publication. Anchoring its setting in the underground trains adds a layer of suspense and fear. The story personifies the train as a beast that enters it by “thundering in” (559). The train also mirrors the inescapable trajectory of the confrontation between the two main characters. The setting underscores their mutual suspicion and the sense of careening toward confrontation, as well as heightening tensions due to the risk of both death and flight. As the pair engages in initial conversation, the background seen through the windows shows “the dark flying walls” (561). Their final encounter takes place as they return to the platform. Miss Hinch’s leading Dark down the stairs underscores the battle of good and evil as she leads her to the subterranean spot where she will arrange the detective’s death. The menacing train becomes a beast as it roars toward and kills Dark.

The newspaper is a central motif of the story. It initially draws the two women together and highlights their distance from traditional gender roles. Dark finds freedom and mobility through her work for the papers as a heroine of journalism who uses her grit and cunning to track down female criminals.