Chapter 9-12 Summary
Chapter 9 Summary
Tressilian gets lost during his escape, and his horse loses a shoe. He has difficulty finding a smith to put on a new shoe. Finally, a scholar named Master Holiday invites Tressilian to speak with him and share in his hospitality. Holiday shows off his Latin and tells his story as a scholar and schoolmaster. Tressilian endures the man's long-winded tales as patiently as he can, but time is slipping away.
Finally, Holiday discusses Doctor Demetrius Doboobie and his servant, Wayland. The Doctor, Holiday says, was claimed by the devil one night for his study of the dark arts. Now his servant has taken up the practice. Yet Wayland is a smith. He shows himself to no one, but he will work for pay.
Tressilian doubts the story but decides to take his chances. Holiday's pupil, Dickie Sludge, will guide the traveler to Wayland. Dickie is a smart, shrewd boy with a grotesque face and deformed body. Still, he quickly leads Tressilian away from his master and grandmother.
Chapter 10 Summary
Dickie shows his intelligence as he and Tressilian speak. Dickie has his ambitions and trusts his wit to carry him to the royal court one day. In the meantime, he will settle for a part in one of Holiday's pageants at a castle in the north.
Dickie leads Tressilian to a circle of stones on the moor. A large flat stone stands in the middle. The boy claims this is Wayland Smith's forge. He instructs the traveler to tie his horse to one of the stones, place his money on the flat stone, whistle three times, and then sit on the other side of a thicket where he cannot see the forge.
Tressilian is sure Dickie is trying to swindle him, and he chases the boy, who runs away laughing. Tressilian fails to catch Dickie and decides to mount his horse and ride away. Dickie comes back out of concern for the animal and agrees to stay with Tressilian to prove his honesty about Wayland Smith.
The traveler agrees, follows Dickie's instructions, and waits. Soon he hears the sound of a hammer. Tressilian jumps out of the bushes to confront the smith. Wayland puts on a threatening show but eventually realizes Tressilian is a true gentleman. He invites the traveler and the boy (his confidante and partner) into his "den," an underground forge, and agrees to tell his story. Wayland knows Tressilian from three years before when he visited the Robsart estate as a juggler. He remembers Amy, too, and is sorry at Tressilian's outburst regarding the lady, understanding that she is gone. Wayland pauses briefly to tend to the horse.
Chapter 11 Summary
Wayland explains that he was trained as a blacksmith but grew bored with it and became an apprentice to a magician. He learned all the tricks of the trade and spent time as a player on stage as well. Then he met Doctor Demetrius Doboobie and became "half partner, half domestic" to him. Wayland learned many of Doboobie's tricks of chemistry, physic, and even alchemy. He delved more deeply into the Doctor's secrets than the Doctor realized.
Then one day, Doboobie disappeared. By that time, no one trusted Wayland anymore, so with Dickie's help, he carried out his trade on a flat rock on the moor. Wayland is ready to move on and agrees to become Tressilian's guide. He knows that he will be under the gentleman's protection. Dickie bids them both goodbye after hinting at a plan of his own. They let him run off, knowing they would never catch him....
(This entire section contains 1074 words.)
Unlock this Study Guide Now
Start your 48-hour free trial and get ahead in class. Boost your grades with access to expert answers and top-tier study guides. Thousands of students are already mastering their assignments—don't miss out. Cancel anytime.
Already a member? Log in here.
As Tressilian and Wayland ride away, they realize Dickie's intentions. He has blown up Wayland's underground forge to draw attention away from their departure. The men discuss Dickie's brilliance.
The inn is abuzz with news of the explosion and Wayland Smith in Marlborough. The company talks over the incident and their encounters with Wayland as Tressillian and Wayland listen, unrecognized. Dame and Goodman Crane own the inn. The latter is a henpecked husband who privately attends to the travelers, wishing that the devil would fly off with his wife.
Tressilian and Wayland eat, although Tressilian hardly touches his meal. Early the following day, they set out for Sir Hugh Robsart's estate, Lidcote Hall, which they reach on the third day of their journey.
Chapter 12 Summary
Tressilian receives a warm welcome from Will Badger, a favorite attendant and huntsman at Lidcote Hall, but learns that Sir Hugh is always "in a sort of twilight," miserable at the loss of his daughter. Tressilian immediately goes in to see his patron, who is with the curate and Master Mumblazen, an expert in heraldry and a friend of Sir Hugh.
Sir Hugh embraces Tressilian, whose eyes fill with tears as he looks at the man who has been like a father to him. Sir Hugh laments that he had prayed that Tressilian and Amy would marry, but he vows to bear his trials like a man. Yet he wears a lock of Amy's hair around his neck and even turns to speak to Amy out of habit. Eventually, Sir Hugh drifts off to sleep.
Tressilian speaks with the curate and Master Mumblazen about their next steps. The curate warns Tressilian not to choose violence, but the young man has resolved to accuse Varney before the Earl of Leicester and the Queen. He needs Sir Hugh's permission to act as his representative. The men discuss the possibilities of this move and recall the seduction of Amy.
When Tressilian leaves the room, Will mentions that the gentleman attending Tressilian gave Sir Hugh a draught of some kind. The others call Tressilian back at once, and he orders Wayland Smith to meet him privately. Wayland assures him that the draught will do no harm and may do much good. Indeed, Sir Hugh sleeps well and wakes in a much better condition. He resists Tressilian's plan at first but then gives his permission.
Tressilian prepares to leave, and Wayland will go with him. The smith has so changed his appearance that no one will ever recognize him. But before the men can set out, Tressilian receives a letter from the Earl of Sussex to come to him immediately. Sussex is deathly ill, and Wayland questions the messenger about his symptoms. He then declares that Sussex has eaten the poisonous manna of Saint Nicholas. Wayland, however, knows the cure, and the companions hurry off to London.
