The Mystery of M. Felix

In Short

A sensational Victorian mystery, The Mystery of M. Felix opens with a midnight death in a Soho lodging house. When the body of the mysterious Mr. Felix mysteriously disappears from a locked room, an enterprising journalist named Robert Agnold sets out to uncover the truth. The investigation rapidly expands beyond a simple missing-corpse case into a sprawling narrative of inheritance, deception, and family betrayal. Shifting from the alleys of London to the mountains of Switzerland, the novel follows the tragic past of a wronged woman, a missing heir, and a sinister doctor. Farjeon’s tale has endured for its blend of standard Victorian melodrama, police procedural detail, and lively street-level realism.

The Story

The mystery begins on a stormy night in London when a cry for help echoes through a lodging house in Soho. The tenant, a reclusive and enigmatic man known as M. Felix, is found dead in his bed by his landlady, Mrs. Middlemore, and attending constables. Dr. Lamb declares that M. Felix has succumbed to heart disease. Yet before an official inquest can take place, the corpse completely vanishes from the locked chamber without a trace, leaving the authorities baffled and the press in a frenzy.

Robert Agnold, an ambitious young reporter for the Evening Moon, decides to solve the case himself. Guided by practical logic, Agnold probes the physical details of the room, interviewing Mrs. Middlemore and taking a fondness to her ragged, sharp-witted niece, Sophy. Agnold soon discovers that someone has secretly broken into the apartment after the death to steal a loaded Colt revolver and a small cedar-wood desk containing private papers. Shortly thereafter, Agnold encounters a distressed lady who refuses to reveal her real name to the police, giving the pseudonym Mary Weston. Her pocket handkerchief bears the initials "E. B." Agnold becomes convinced that this woman is tied directly to the missing M. Felix.

The story then steps back eighteen years to unveil the backstory of Emilia Braham. As a penniless young woman, Emilia had taken employment under the cruel Mrs. Seaton. She fell in love with Gerald Paget, a handsome young man of wealth. Gerald’s villainous stepbrother, Leonard, harbored intense bitterness over Gerald’s inheritance and sought to claim the family fortune for himself. With the help of the unscrupulous Dr. Peterssen, Leonard orchestrated a series of deceits to separate the lovers.

During a fire at Gerald’s home, Emilia was rescued and temporarily sheltered, but Mrs. Seaton spread vicious slanders about her character. Stung by slander and believing Gerald had abandoned her, Emilia fled. When Gerald located her, they traveled abroad to Switzerland, blissfully happy and expecting a child. But Leonard and Dr. Peterssen tracked them down in the Alps. Dr. Peterssen engineered a terrible accident in which Gerald was severely injured and left battered beyond recognition.

Executing a monstrous scheme, Leonard and Peterssen substituted another dead man's body for Gerald's, burying the stranger under Gerald’s name. Peterssen then secretly kept the real, brain-damaged Gerald captive under heavy drugs, while Leonard took over the estate. To break Emilia's heart completely, Leonard lied to her, claiming her marriage to Gerald was a sham and her child illegitimate. Devastated, Emilia raised her daughter Constance in Geneva under an assumed name, hiding from the world for nearly two decades.

Years later, Emilia returns to England to secure proof of her marriage for her daughter’s sake. She tracks down the man living as M. Felix—who is none other than Leonard Paget living under an alias to escape Dr. Peterssen's blackmail. When Emilia confronts him in his Soho rooms, Leonard suffers a sudden cardiac attack brought on by shock and terror, leading to his apparent death.

In truth, Leonard had not died, but had suffered a state of suspended animation. He revived, stole his own concealed papers and revolver, and fled to conspire once more with Dr. Peterssen. Together they frame the helpless, amnesiac Gerald for a fresh crime, intending to have him executed or imprisoned forever.

Agnold, assisted by his sharp friend Bob and the tireless street urchin Sophy, tracks the villains to their hideout. Though Agnold and Sophy are captured and gagged by Peterssen, they remain steadfast. The truth is exposed, Peterssen and Leonard are brought to justice, and Gerald is rescued from his living tomb. Restored to his loving wife Emilia, Gerald slowly recovers his sanity, while their daughter marries happily, bringing peace at last to a family torn apart by greed.

How It Unfolds

A midnight discovery Mrs. Middlemore and two constables find the tenant M. Felix dead in his room, but the landlady is terrified by the sight of a red cat. A physician pronounces him dead of heart failure, only for the corpse to vanish from the locked apartment before morning.

The press steps in Robert Agnold, a reporter for the Evening Moon, investigates the scene and notices that a cedar-wood desk and a loaded revolver are missing. He befriends the landlady’s sharp, impoverished niece, Sophy, who becomes his loyal ally in gathering street-level clues.

A mysterious encounter Agnold assists a cultured woman at a police station who uses a false name but leaves behind a handkerchief initialed "E. B." Believing she is the key to M. Felix’s identity, Agnold vows to uncover her connection to the case.

Slander breaks two hearts Eighteen years earlier, the orphaned Emilia Braham falls in love with Gerald Paget, but is driven away by the cruel slanders of her employer, Mrs. Seaton. Gerald pursues her to Switzerland, where they live happily until tragedy strikes in the mountains.

A villainous substitution Gerald’s ruthless stepbrother Leonard and the corrupt Dr. Peterssen stage Gerald’s fake death during an alpine excursion. They bury a battered stranger in Gerald's grave, while Peterssen keeps the living, traumatized Gerald hidden away under sedation so Leonard can claim the estate.

The confrontation in Soho Emilia tracks down M. Felix—who is actually Leonard in hiding—demanding proof of her marriage to protect her daughter’s future. The shock causes Leonard to collapse into a state of suspended animation, triggering the corpse's apparent death and subsequent flight.

Entrapped in the dark Leonard revives, steals his papers, and joins Peterssen to frame the helpless Gerald for murder. Agnold and Sophy track the criminals down, but are taken captive and gagged inside Peterssen's lair.

Justice and light The plot is unraveled in time to save Gerald and clear his name. Leonard’s crimes are fully exposed, Sophy is rewarded for her heroism, and Emilia is reunited with her husband as his memory slowly returns.

The People

• Robert Agnold: An energetic, clear-headed reporter for the Evening Moon. He wants to uncover the truth behind M. Felix's vanishing act, relying on keen observation rather than police assumptions. His persistent curiosity and empathy for the downtrodden drive the investigation to its triumphant conclusion.
• Emilia Braham (Paget): A gentle, resilient woman whose life is ruined by slander and malice. She wants nothing more than to protect the legitimacy and happiness of her daughter, Constance. Despite enduring eighteen years of grief and exile, her moral courage never wavers.
• Leonard Paget (M. Felix): Gerald's scheming stepbrother. Driven by bitter jealousy and greed, he wants Gerald's fortune for himself and will commit any betrayal to keep it. He disguises himself as M. Felix to escape his past, but his own cowardice and guilt ultimately consume him.
• Sophy: A fourteen-year-old street waif living with her aunt, Mrs. Middlemore. Bold, cheerful, and fiercely independent, she wants to escape poverty and become a performer. Her sharp eyes, physical brave acts, and loyalty to Agnold make her the unsung heroine of the story.
• Gerald Paget: Leonard's warm-hearted stepbrother and Emilia's true husband. He wants a quiet, loving life with Emilia, but becomes the victim of an atrocious plot that robs him of his freedom, his fortune, and his memory for nearly two decades.
• Dr. Peterssen: A cold, mercenary physician. He acts as Leonard's accomplice for financial gain, using his medical authority to drug Gerald and manipulate events from the shadows.

In Its Own Voice

"It has been found and proved that the truest regions of romance lie in humble courts and alleys, where the commonest flowers grow..."

The narrator reflects on how real drama and mystery exist within the everyday struggles of ordinary working people.

"'There's lobsters, now,' said Constable Nightingale; 'we know what color they are when they're boiled, but we don't boil cats, that I know of, and if we did they wouldn't turn red.'"

Constable Nightingale banteringly dismisses Mrs. Middlemore's terrified claim that she saw a red phantom cat on the night of the discovery.

"'Break my neck!' she exclaimed. 'Not me! That's nothink to what I can show yer. I am glad to see yer back, I am.'"

Sophy proudly demonstrates her roller-skating skills to Agnold after he returns from his inquiries.

What It's Really About

Beneath its intricate web of missing bodies, secret identities, and hidden documents, The Mystery of M. Felix is an inquiry into the destructive power of malice and the enduring strength of innocent victims. Farjeon contrasts the corrupting nature of unbridled greed with the quiet dignity of those who endure unjust suffering. Leonard's obsession with wealth destroys his humanity, forcing him into a paranoid life of concealment, while Emilia's selfless devotion to her child gives her the courage to face her past.

The novel also mounts a critique of social prejudice and class assumptions. It highlights how easily a poor woman's reputation can be ruined by casual slander from those in authority, such as the venomous Mrs. Seaton. Conversely, the book champions the dignity found in London's poorest quarters, demonstrating that honesty, bravery, and intelligence often reside in ragged street children like Sophy rather than in wealthy gentlemen or scheming doctors.

Why Read It Today

The Mystery of M. Felix offers an engaging experience for readers who enjoy classic 19th-century sensation fiction and Victorian detective stories. B. L. Farjeon crafts a narrative rich in atmosphere, balancing eerie urban Gothic moments—such as a missing body in a fog-bound London—with the expansive melodrama of alpine betrayals.

What makes the book particularly delightful to modern readers is its energetic, human-centered storytelling. Rather than relying solely on a brooding master detective, the novel treats its readers to the companionable perspective of an inquisitive newspaper reporter and the unforgettable presence of Sophy. Sophy's sharp wit, irreverent humor, and spirited roller-skating antics inject a vibrant vitality into the narrative, providing welcome relief from the heavier melodramatic elements.

Readers should be prepared for the narrative conventions of its era, including dramatic coincidences, emotional sentimentality, and a multi-part structure that pauses the central detective plot to deliver an extensive historical backstory. However, Farjeon writes with genuine warmth and momentum. Those who appreciate Wilkie Collins, Arthur Conan Doyle, or Charles Dickens will find this forgotten Victorian gem a thoroughly entertaining puzzle of crime, identity, and justice.

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