“Are you by any chance waiting to see Miss Holloway?”
Why it's great
By any chance turns a nosy question into a polite guess that is hard to resent.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
Are you by any chance the new manager?
00:00 / 02:33
00:00 / 02:33
Rick and Pamela Visit Miss Holloway, Explained
The Uninvited · 1944
Chapter 22 of 28 · 2'33"
Rick and Pamela call at Miss Holloway's retreat, where the residents are called guests and one of them, Miss Bird, sends a gift of small stones. "Forgive our ignorance. We know so very little of your work," Pamela says, before the talk turns to the disturbances at Windward House.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:16–1:16
Miss Bird Delivers Her Stones
60s - 1:52–2:31
Meeting Miss Holloway at the Retreat
39s
Rick and Pamela Visit Miss Holloway, explained
What happens
The Fitzgeralds arrive at Miss Holloway's retreat and meet Miss Bird, a resident who delivers a packet of stones for Miss Holloway. Pamela apologises for knowing so little about the place, and Miss Holloway explains that the people there are not patients but guests, and that it is like a hotel with a little sympathy. Then she asks what can be done about the disturbances at Windward House.
What's really going on
The retreat is a place built out of careful language. Nothing is a madhouse and nobody is a patient; the residents are "guests," the garden is an amenity, and even the stones a lonely woman gives as a gift are received as if they were flowers. Pamela plays by the same rules when she says, "Forgive our ignorance. We know so very little of your work," an apology that is also a request. The politeness is not empty: it is how the Fitzgeralds get to the point. Miss Holloway has been waiting for the question about Windward House, and the scene ends with her offering the help they came for. What the manners hide is the loneliness that fills the building, Miss Bird included, and the disturbances that are the reason for the visit.
Key lines & what they mean
- “Are you by any chance waiting to see Miss Holloway?”
- The over-polite gatekeeper's question: by any chance turns a plain enquiry into a soft, almost hopeful guess.
- “I was asked to give you these by a Miss Bird, I believe.”
- The stones are handed over with the careful politeness of a message, naming the sender and leaving room for doubt.
- “Forgive our ignorance. We know so very little of your work.”
- Pamela's apology before asking questions: she admits she does not understand the retreat, so the request for information will not sound like prying.
- “But that's very funny, because, you see, I'm Miss Bird.”
- Miss Bird's joke about her own name: her surname is the word for a bird, which is exactly what she believes she is.
Theme
- Loneliness — Miss Bird is kept at the retreat as its saddest case, and her gift of small stones shows a life reduced to tiny, harmless rituals.
- Secrets — The Fitzgeralds come for information about Windward House, and the polite talk about guests is only the prelude to the trouble they came to discuss.
What this chapter teaches
Teaching points
Review right after watchingMy level3/6
A1–C2 is the CEFR scale. Cards above the level you pick fade, and playback will not auto-pause on them.
Language points
Click a card to jump to its moment in the videoGolden lines
A great line in its own right — why and how to use it“I was asked to give you these by a Miss Bird, I believe.”
Why it's great
The passive plus I believe turns a small errand into a polished, formal courtesy.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
I was asked to give you this by your neighbour, I believe.
“Forgive our ignorance. We know so very little of your work.”
Why it's great
It lowers the speaker first, then invites the other to explain, which puts her at ease.
Register
Formal
Use it yourself
Forgive our ignorance; we know so very little of your field.
“But that's very funny, because, you see, I'm Miss Bird.”
Why it's great
A roundabout self-introduction that shows a small figure's comedy and pathos at once.
Register
Informal
Use it yourself
But that's very funny, because, you see, I'm the new manager.
Up next · 23put up withThe scene: Holloway Tells the Cliff Murder StoryTakeaways
What you walk away with- Politeness here is a tool for getting and dodging favours.
- By any chance lets a nosy question sound like a guess.
- Calling patients guests quietly rewrites what the place is.
- Over-polite conditionals can hide a timid request.
People also search
Questions, then the linesWhat kind of place is Miss Holloway's retreat?
It is a quiet home she calls a retreat, where the residents are described as guests rather than patients. It is like a hotel, she says, with a little sympathy added.
Who is Miss Bird?
A resident at the retreat who behaves as if she were a bird, hunting for small stones and delivering them as gifts. She is called the saddest case, and she shares a joke about her surname meaning bird.
Why do Rick and Pamela visit Miss Holloway?
They have an appointment to talk about the disturbances at Windward House. Pamela says on the telephone that they know very little about her work, and Miss Holloway asks how she can help.
What does Miss Holloway mean by just guests?
She means that the people in her care are treated as visitors rather than cases. The polite wording protects their dignity and tells the Fitzgeralds how the retreat sees itself.