- Mrs. Wix says that she has seen Maisie's mother, who has given her the money that she declined to give to Maisie.
- Mrs. Wix also says that Ida wants them to send Susan Ash back to England.
- Sir Claude volunteers to accompany Susan Ash on her return trip.
- This startles Mrs. Wix, who thinks it's a bad idea, but Sir Claude insists, saying that it's not appropriate for Susan Ash to travel on her own.
- Mrs. Wix emphasizes how nice Ida was during her visit back in England—so nice that she seemed to be a changed woman.
- Sir Claude gets Mrs. Wix to confess that Ida was with another man—that's right, another one—called Mr. Tischbein.
- But Mrs. Wix says that the important thing is that Ida wanted her daughter to be with "a decent person" (XXIII.47).
- Mrs. Wix adds that she herself has come to make sure that Sir Claude is decent, but she senses that he's going back to England with Susan Ash so he can see Mrs. Beale again.