“You mean to tell me they paid you good money for that?”
Por qué es buena
A single teasing question turns disbelief and envy into one clean jab.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
You mean to tell me they gave you a raise and a bonus?
00:00 / 03:26
00:00 / 03:26
Mrs. Muir's Book Becomes a Success, Explained
The Ghost and Mrs. Muir · 1947
Capítulo 16 de 18 · 3'26"
The book has paid off — Sproule sends a hundred pounds in "advance royalties" — but the money is only half the story. Lucy is already planning to marry Mr. Fairley and asking Martha to move Captain Gregg's portrait to the attic. "I don't know what possessed me," she says, as if catching herself.
Key moments
Start here, then watch the full scene- 0:17–1:30
Lucy Puts the Captain's Portrait Away
73s
Mrs. Muir's Book Becomes a Success, explained
What happens
Sproule's letter brings good news: a £100 advance on Lucy's book, which she wrote by taking down Captain Gregg's dictation. Martha admits she has been reading it and disapproves of its rough language. Lucy, meanwhile, is waiting for Mr. Fairley, plans to marry him, and wants the captain's portrait moved from the sitting room to the attic.
What's really going on
The money is real, but what the scene is really about is Lucy letting go. The book that made her fortune was written with Captain Gregg, and now she is packing him off — asking Martha to "put that portrait of Captain Gregg up in the attic." Martha sees the truth and says it plainly: "He'd have a hard time living up to your idea of him." Lucy chooses the living man over the ghost, and her excuse — "I don't know what possessed me" — is really about how completely she once gave herself to him. The irony is that she still can't fully shut him out: she keeps the portrait, promises Sproule she'll tell him "the truth about the captain," and when Fairley cancels their picnic, she immediately asks for his London address.
Key lines & what they mean
- “You mean to tell me they paid you good money for that?”
- Disbelief that a book full of rough sailor language actually earned Lucy real money.
- “I'm supposed to dust in here, and what falls under me eye falls under me eye.”
- Martha's defense for reading the manuscript: she was only dusting, and the pages happened to come under her eye.
- “He'd have a hard time living up to your idea of him.”
- A quiet warning: the real Captain Gregg could never match the flattering figure Lucy has built in her mind.
- “I don't know what possessed me.”
- Lucy's half-confession about how thoroughly she once devoted herself to the captain.
- “You know, someday when I've known you a little longer, Mr. Sproule, I'll tell you the truth about the captain.”
- She promises the publisher the real story one day — a way of keeping the captain secret and keeping him alive.
Theme
- Money — The book finally pays, and the first thing money buys Lucy is a life without the captain.
- Memory — The portrait, the attic, the secret behind the book: she files the past away and keeps reaching for it.
Qué aprendes en este capítulo
Puntos de enseñanza
Repasa justo después de verMi nivel3/5
A1–C2 es la escala MCER. Las tarjetas por encima del nivel elegido se atenúan y la reproducción no se pausa en ellas.
Puntos de lengua
Toca una tarjeta para saltar a ese momentoFrases de oro
Una gran frase en sí misma: por qué y cómo usarla“I'm supposed to dust in here, and what falls under me eye falls under me eye.”
Por qué es buena
She turns snooping into housework with a stubborn little proverb that dares anyone to object.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I'm supposed to tidy this desk, and what falls under my eye falls under my eye.
“He'd have a hard time living up to your idea of him.”
Por qué es buena
It gently points out how impossible it is to match someone's idealized picture of you.
Registro
Neutral
Úsala tú
No actor would have an easy time living up to your idea of him.
“I don't know what possessed me.”
Por qué es buena
A superstitious flourish that captures regret better than any plain apology.
Registro
Informal
Úsala tú
I don't know what possessed me to quit that job.
“You know, someday when I've known you a little longer, Mr. Sproule, I'll tell you the truth about the captain.”
Por qué es buena
It promises a story while quietly postponing the telling — charm used as a shield.
Registro
Formal
Úsala tú
When I've known you a little longer, I'll tell you the whole story.
Siguiente · 17take my breath awayLa escena: Anna Brings Home a FianceIdeas clave
Lo que te llevas- A cheque in a letter can unsettle as much as please.
- Martha's teasing keeps Lucy's success from going to her head.
- The captain's portrait is a small prop that quietly signals guilt.
- Politeness in this scene is often a way of avoiding a decision.
Preguntas frecuentes
La pregunta, luego la fraseWhy does Lucy want to move Captain Gregg's portrait to the attic?
Because she is engaged to Mr. Fairley and trying to put her old life behind her. Moving the portrait is her way of demoting the captain without fully getting rid of him.
Did Martha really read Lucy's manuscript?
Yes, and she doesn't apologize for it. She claims she was dusting and the pages just "fell under her eye," which is a very tidy excuse for reading the whole thing.
Why is Lucy upset when Mr. Fairley is called to London?
It interrupts their picnic and, more importantly, removes the man she is counting on. She immediately writes off to get his London address, so her reaction is less grief than fear of losing him.
Why does Lucy say she'll tell Mr. Sproule "the truth about the captain" someday?
Because the book is published as her work, but the captain is the secret behind it. Promising the truth later lets her honor him while keeping him hidden for now.
What does "what possessed me" mean?
It means "what got into me?" — used about doing something you now regret or can't explain. Lucy says it about having hung the captain's portrait where it was.