Volume 3: Chapters 1–4 Summary

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Chapter 1

Lionel describes how the plague has devastated England, to the point where its people have no ambition but survival. Civilization has collapsed, and everyone lives in equal squalor in its ruins. The plague has not killed Lionel’s sons or his niece, Clara, though many others in and around Windsor Castle have been infected. Idris has become thin and pale, but this is due to anxiety rather than the direct effect of the plague.

The population is so depleted that London now contains fewer than a thousand inhabitants, and this number is decreasing all the time. Many had come to the city from the countryside, while Londoners had fled in the opposite direction. All the greatest achievements of civilization, the arts and the sciences and everything that raises humanity above the animals, has been abandoned in the struggle to survive. Even the essential disciplines of agriculture and husbandry are neglected. England, which has given so many gifts to the world, is utterly ruined.

Chapter 2

In the fall of 2096, Adrian tells Lionel that he has made plans to leave England permanently with all those inhabitants who remain alive. Lionel and his family leave Windsor for the last time, making the journey to London at night so the desolation of the landscape will be less obvious to Idris and the children. There are slightly fewer than two thousand people remaining in England, not all of whom are assembled in London. However, Adrian is working to round up the populace in order to depart on November 25th. There is grass growing in the streets of London, and most of the buildings are deserted.

As the date for their departure grows nearer, Idris becomes more sickly, as does her eldest son, Alfred, who soon dies. Lionel comforts her, saying that they have been happy together, but he does not think any of them have much longer to live. All they can do is make the most of the little time that remains to them and love one another. They discuss the possibility of eternal life, and those they loved who have already died, including Raymond, Perdita, and Evadne.

Chapter 3

Lionel has become infected with the plague. Since no one has yet recovered from this infection, Idris, Adrian, and his friends assume that he is going to die. Lionel survives, but Idris, who has been caring for him devotedly, falls seriously ill. This delays the departure from England, which is postponed until January 1st. As soon as they leave London, however, Idris begins to recover, and she tells Lionel she is confident that moving to a milder climate will restore her health completely.

When they arrive at Rochester, the party is detained by a letter which Idris receives from Lucy, a woman she knows who lives in Datchet and who has been left behind because she had to care for her ailing mother. Lucy asks Idris to send someone back to Datchet to save them, and Idris decides to go herself. Lionel reluctantly agrees to this, and they make the return journey in a carriage, but it breaks down, and Idris dies in the cold. Lionel has her body interred in the family vault in St. George’s Chapel. The countess of Windsor comes to mourn her daughter, and she is finally reconciled with Lionel.

Chapter 4

Lionel arrives at Lucy’s cottage in Datchet and finds Lucy there, but her mother is already dead. As soon as they have buried Lucy’s mother, Lionel leaves Windsor with Lucy and the countess. When they reach Dover, where they are to rejoin Adrian and the...

(This entire section contains 779 words.)

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other emigrants, they find that the sea is so stormy that it has flooded the town. The storm rages for three days, destroying many of the ships in which they had intended to set sail for the continent.

When the sea is calm again, a deputation arrives from Paris, asking to speak to the lord protector. They tell him that Paris is a “desert” and France a “blank.” On the road from Paris to Calais they did not encounter a single person, and Paris itself now has perhaps a hundred inhabitants. A preacher has arisen among them who has appointed himself the leader of a sect of religious fanatics in opposition to Adrian. It is therefore imperative that Adrian should arrive in Paris as soon as possible to restore order. The emigrants make the crossing to France and eventually arrive in Paris, where Adrian confronts the false prophet, who calls upon him to repent. Adrian refuses, and the two parties go their separate ways, with Adrian leading his followers to Versailles, where they make their home in the deserted palace.

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Volume 2: Chapters 7–9 Summary

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Volume 3: Chapters 5–7 Summary

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