What is the summary of chapter one in Adam of the Road?

In chapter one of Elizabeth Janet Gray’s Adam of the Road, the reader meets the main character, Adam Quartermayne, and learns about his family, friends, and hobbies.

Adam is an eleven-year-old boy who is attending a religious boarding school. In this chapter, he reminisces about his father and the times he spent with him before school. Adam’s dad performs in minstrel shows, which are live variety acts. He had to leave Adam at the school so he could go to school himself and is currently away at minstrel school in France.

The reader also learns about Adam’s friends. His best friend is a boy named Perkins. Perkins is older than Adam and is from a family that works the land for a lord. This book is set in medieval England, a time in which many people were tied to the land by landowners in exchange for a place to stay. This was called the feudal system. Perkins's father had to pay the lord he worked for so that Perkins could go to school. Through Perkins’s story, the reader learns about what life was like for young men in the medieval era.

This chapter also discusses Adam’s interests. The reader learns that he loves to play the harp, which suggests that his father’s love of music must have been passed down. Adam also likes to spend time with his dog Nick. He is not allowed to have Nick live with him at school, but the dog lives with a woman nearby and Adam can see him on school holidays.

Overall, the chapter provides a detailed overview of Adam’s life that is useful for understanding the rest of the text.

What is the summary of chapter 6, "A Blush of Boys", in Adam of the Road?

Adam is watching a group of youngsters ("blush of boys") play at Lisle House, where he is staying with his father. He doesn't understand why the boys, and especially Hugh, their leader, are so rude to him and will not let him join their games. Simon, a squire to Sir Edmund and mentor to Adam, suggests that if Adam were to offer to let the boys ride his father's fine war horse Bayard in their games, they might include him in their group. Adam does just that, and his generosity is much appreciated. Hugh confides in Adam that his father once owned Bayard, and that Hugh was hoping he would give the horse to him one day, but he gave the horse to Adam's father instead. Adam understands why Hugh has been so unfriendly towards him. He is accepted as part of the group from then on, and they all have great fun!

What occurs in chapter 7 of "Adam of the Road"?

Chapter 7 opens with Adam, Hugh, and Martin discussing which squire they like the best.  Hugh likes the squire of the stable, while Adam's hero is Simon Talbot.  The boys know Simon loves Emilie, but Simon is poor, and Hugh says Emilie is going to marry Sir Gervase.  Hugh emphasizes that Emilie's must marry Gervase even if she prefers Simon, because her father wishes it, and being "only a girl", she must obey.  Adam is puzzled, because ladies are held in such high esteem by knights and in stories, but in real life, they really have no status at all.  Emilie does indeed marry Sir Gervaise, and minstrels come from all around to entertain at the wedding.

Roger tells Adam that after the wedding, they will have to take to the road again.  Adam will miss the de Lisles, but remembers that his father always said that "the road is home to the minstrel".  He decides that as long as he has Roger and Nick, things will be all right.  At the end of the festivities, the minstrels are each given a purse "heavy with pennies" in appreciation of their work.  As they receive their gifts, Adam notices a minstrel named Jankin, "a little, dark-haired man with sharp black eyes".  Adam likes Jankin because he has taken an interest in Nick.  That night however, the older minstrels play at dice, and Roger loses both his purse and his horse Bayard to Jankin in the gambling.

What is the summary of chapter 7 in Adam of the Road?

Chapter 7 of Adam of the Road by Elizabeth Janet Grey, titled “Jankin,” is split roughly into two parts. The first consists mainly of Adam and his friends of the household as they discuss their favorite squires and which will become knights. Two are particularly mentioned—the stable squire, who is friends with Hugh, and the carving squire Simon Tolbert, whom Adam favors. Adam prefers Simon because Simon loves songs and writes poetry, which he sometimes asks Adam to set to music for him.

Simon is also in love with Emily, the daughter of Sir Edmund. Adam likens Simon to the “squire of low degree” in one of the romances told by his father, Roger. The squire goes to war for seven years to impress his lady, but Adam’s friends are of the opinion that Sir Edmund will marry Emily off long before then, and they mention the florid Sir Gervais as a strong suitor. Adam asks what would happen should Emily prefer Simon and is somewhat disconcerted to be told that since she is a girl, what she prefers does not matter. Adam reflects on the differences between the chivalric ideal of women as depicted in the songs and stories Roger tells and the actual position of women in real life—that is, chattel to be disposed of as determined by the men in their families. However, Adam’s sympathies lie mainly with Simon and how hard his unrequited love will be on him.

There is a description of the Great Hall—with the dais at one end, hearth in the center, and long tables for the lesser household folk. The Great Hall is where Adam sleeps with his father; his dog, Nick; and others. One night, Adam asks about Emily’s potential marriage and is surprised when Roger tells him that she will for certain marry Sir Gervais—and afterward, they would take to the road again. Adam reflects that though a minstrel might sleep in a house, his home will always be the road.

The second part of the chapter is mainly concerned with a description of the wedding, the finery of the guests, the feasting, and the amusements. Simon still carves for the wedding feast, but he is pale. Other squires attend the guests. The minstrels perform between the courses—not just household minstrels but others from all over. Roger tells a story he brought from France, and Adam sings—and everyone stops to listen to him. Roger is given a gold brooch from Emily, who thought his story was the best she’d ever heard.

After the guests leave at sunset, the house steward calls the minstrels together to inform them that Sir Edmund is pleased and wishes to reward them. They all receive purses of silver pennies. Adam is extremely proud to be receiving one as well. Some of the minstrels leave, but others stay to sleep or gamble. Adam likes one in particular, Jankin, because he smiles at Adam’s dog, Nick, and scratches Nick under the chin. Adam goes to sleep hearing the others—including Roger—gamble, and he wakes to find them still at it. Adam slips out to swim and meets Roger on the way back, looking downcast. Jankin has won not only all of Roger’s money, but their horse, Bayard, as well.

What is the summary of chapters 8 and 9 in "Adam of the Road"?

Adam, Roger, and Nick set off on the road towards London in Chapter 8.  They are on foot, and Roger is feeling low because he lost Bayard to Jankin playing dice.  When they arrive in London, they stop at the "mighty cathedral of St. Paul's", and Adam, who can read Latin, translates a letter of recommendation given to Roger by Sir Edmund de Lisle.  Roger and Adam stop to eat at a "cook shop", and run into Jankin, who wants to gamble with Roger again, this time for Nick, but Roger refuses.  As they set off on the road again, in a foreshadowing of coming doom, it begins to rain.

In Chapter 9, Roger, Adam, and Nick walk all day in the downpour, and in a further foreshadowing, they see a magpie which is supposed to portend coming sorrow.  Soaked, they spend the night at an inn on Westhumble Lane, where the innkeeper's wife makes a great fuss over them.  Adam talks to an old gaffer, who tells him about his boyhood, and later that evening, Roger and Adam entertain the guests with a story of high adventure on the sea.  Before the tale is done, Jankin comes in.  He has ridden Bayard cruelly, showing off, and now Bayard is lame and Jankin is angry.  Adam goes to bed heavy-hearted at the news about the horse, and falls asleep with Nick at his side.

What is the summary of chapter 9 in Adam of the Road?

In chapter 9 we find Nick, Adam, and Roger walking all day in the pouring rain. While they are walking, they see a magpie, which hints at further trials to come (through the use of foreshadowing). Thoroughly soaked, Nick, Adam, and Roger arrive at an inn, where they decide to spend the night. The inn is located on Westhumble Lane, and the wife of the innkeeper goes to great lengths to make sure they are comfortable. Adam meets an elderly gentleman who tells him stories of his youth. Later on in the evening, Adam and Roger become the entertainers, and they tell the guests a story of adventure on the ocean. Before they can finish their story, an angry Jankin arrives with some tragic news. Jankin has ridden Bayard recklessly, in an attempt to show off, and the horse is now lame. Adam is despondent over the news of the horse, and he and Nick fall asleep side by side.

What is the summary of Chapters 10 to 12 in Adam of the Road?

Chapter 10 of the story is titled “Here, Nick!” and describes how Adam’s spaniel, Nick, is stolen by Jankin at the inn, in Westhumble lane, while Roger and Adam are asleep. According to the inn’s stable boy, Jankin had passed by the stables before sunrise and intimated that Roger had traded the war horse, Bayard, for Nick. He had then left the inn with Nick tucked under his arm. On hearing this news, Roger and Adam set out in pursuit of Jankin after paying the innkeeper to keep the lame Bayard in his stables in their absence. Adam is devastated by Nick’s disappearance, for he loves his dog a lot. After quite some walking, they meet a group of pilgrims, accompanied by some minstrels, who claim to have come across Jankin, who was headed for Guildford.

Chapter 11 of the story is titled “Adam Swims the Way” and dwells on the search for Nick in Guildford. Roger and Adam arrive safely in Guildford but are separated after Adam takes off alone to chase Jankin across the river. Unfortunately, Jankin gets away after he boards the ferryboat and gets to the other side of the river ahead of Adam, who misses the ferryboat and chooses to swim across the river.

Chapter 12 of the story is titled “The Ferryman’s House.” In this chapter, Adam, tired from the long chase, falls asleep outside a little house near the ferryboat landing. He is awoken by the ferryman and his wife, who live in the little house. The two take in the boy for the night and are very kind to him:

He carried Adam into the house, where they peeled off his wet clothes, rolled him in a warm blanket, fed him hot bean pottage, and put him to bed in a little room upstairs where bunches of herbs were hung from the rafters to dry.

The following day, the ferryman’s wife suggests that Jankin was most likely headed for Farnham and possibly used the road through the nearby woods. She advises Adam to go back to Guildford to find his father rather than continue with the search for Jankin and Nick. After dinner at the ferryman’s house, the ferryman takes him across the river and back to Guildford for free. Unfortunately, he misses his father who, he is told, left at about noon for Farnham via the road over Hog’s Back after hearing information to the effect that Jankin was seen headed that way. Adam spends the night at the castle and starts for Farnham in the early morning.

What are the key points in Chapters 10 to 15 of Adam of the Road?

Key points by chapter might look something like this:

Chapter 10:

• Jankin the Minstrel steals Adam's dog Nick.
• Adam and his father Roger set off to find Nick, receiving clues and advice from a stable boy and some travelers on the road.

Chapter 11:

• At Guildford, Adam gets close enough to Jankin and Nick to catch a glimpse of them, but the thief takes the dog onto a ferry to cross the river, and Adam swims after them.

Chapter 12:

• Adam can not catch up to Jankin and Nick, and returns to Guildford to find his father.
• Adam learns that his father has left for Farnham, where he thinks Jankin has gone also, and he sets out alone for that town.

Chapter 13:

• In Farnham, Adam discovers that everyone is going to the fair at Winchester, and is befriended by a merchant, Daun Williams, who offers to take Adam with him to Winchester on horseback.
• Adam and Daun Williams' group are accosted by robbers in the night; Adam escapes, but Daun Williams and his servants are taken captive.

Chapter 14:

• Adam notifies a nearby village bailiff of the crime, and the bailiff organizes a band to go after the robbers. Daun Williams, his servants, and his goods are recovered, and the bailiff continues on to hunt down the thieves.

Chapter 15:

• Adam arrives in Winchester with Daun Williams, who immediately begins to set up shop to sell his wares.
• Adam cannot find Roger or Nick, and goes to the shrine at St. Swithin to pray for a miracle.