Harding’s Luck · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Harding’s Luck by E. Nesbit.
Chapter 1
Dedication
A brief dedication from E. Nesbit to Rosamund Philippa Philips, expressing her affection.
Chapter 2
Harding’s Luck
Dickie Harding, a poor orphan boy with a lame leg, lives a harsh life with his aunt and uncle. He meets Mr. Beale, a tramp who takes him on the road, and Dickie discovers a mysterious ability to dream himself into a past life as a wealthy boy in Jacobean England. Through these dreams, he learns woodcarving and begins to carve in the real world, setting the stage for his discovery of his true identity as the rightful Lord Arden.
Chapter 3
I: Tinkler and the Moonflower
Dickie Harding, a lame orphan boy living in poverty with his aunt, treasures a family heirloom rattle called Tinkler. After a hospital stay for a foot injury, he returns to find Tinkler pawned. He discovers a magnificent moonflower in his neglected garden and decides to sell some of its flowers to raise a shilling to reclaim his beloved rattle.
Chapter 4
II: Burglars
Dickie assists Mr. Beale and his accomplices in a burglary at a grand house, successfully opening a side door for them. However, he experiences a sudden sense of shame and tries to stop them. The burglars are discovered, a shot is fired, and they flee. Dickie is found by the lady of the house, who takes him in and cares for him.
Chapter 5
III: The Escape
Dickie Harding wakes in Lady Talbot's luxurious home and is treated with kindness, but his fear that the police will be set on Mr. Beale drives him to plan an escape. He enlists the reluctant help of the hostile maid Markham, who agrees to let him go if he takes nothing, and Dickie resolves to return to his father.
Chapter 6
IV: Which Was the Dream?
Dickie, now fully immersed in his new life as Master Richard, learns rapidly from tutors and enjoys the pleasures of a wealthy, noble existence. He attends a river pageant with his cousins and aunt, meets the King and Queen, and experiences a masque. Yet the memory of Beale and his promise to return to Gravesend haunts him, creating a painful conflict between the dreamlike luxury of his present and the gritty reality of his past. He resolves to wake up and keep his word, aided by his nurse's ritual.
Chapter 7
To Get Your Own Living
Dickie and Mr. Beale discuss giving up burglary and finding honest work. Dickie shares his dream of a past life as a gentleman, causing tension with Beale, who fears losing him. They decide to sleep in Dickie's old house, and Dickie carves boxes while Beale sells puppies, beginning a new, more honest life.
Chapter 8
VI: Buried Treasure
Dickie and Mr. Beale establish a new, honest life with the money from the wrought-iron box and gold pieces. Dickie learns woodcarving and dog-keeping, and resolves to return to the Jacobean world only after securing Beale's happiness. He successfully dreams himself back to the past, where he confirms the reality of the magic and begins learning trades to bring back to the present.
Chapter 9
VII: Dickie Learns Many Things
Dickie resolves to give up his own desires and help Edred and Elfrida find the treasure, and to help Mr. Beale live his life. He attempts a magical journey using the moonseeds, rattle, and white seal, but instead of returning to the familiar dream world, he wakes in a small, dark panelled room. He is comforted by his nurse, who explains that a month has passed and he is visiting his cousins in London. He has lessons alone with his tutor, Mr. Parados, and after being punished for drawing a caricature, he joins his cousin Elfrida in the garden. They play and talk, and Dickie is struck by a strange feeling when she recites the Gunpowder Plot rhyme.
Chapter 10
Going Home
Dickie and Mr. Beale decide to leave Deptford and take to the road with their dogs, seeking more space and freedom. Before they can depart, Mr. Beale buys a trick dachshund that escapes by opening doors, delaying their plans. They eventually set out, and along the way they visit Beale's elderly father, leading to a tentative reunion.
Chapter 11
IX: Kidnapped
Dickie enjoys a happy life at the cottage with Mr. Beale and the dogs, but his contentment is shattered when he is kidnapped by two familiar voices while waiting for a ride. He is hidden in a coster's barrow and taken away. Later, Lady Talbot visits Arden Castle and recognizes Dickie, but she tactfully avoids mentioning his past as a burglar. Lord Arden reveals that Dickie is actually a long-lost Arden relative and wants to raise him as a gentleman. Dickie, however, insists on staying with Mr. Beale. The chapter also shows Dickie reuniting with Edred and Elfrida, who initially do not recognize him due to his shabby clothes, but soon embrace him after he recalls their shared magical adventures.
Chapter 12
X: The Noble Deed
Edred is tasked by the Mouldiwarp to rescue Dickie from kidnappers by following True the dog at night. He succeeds, leading to Dickie's rescue and the revelation of his true identity as the rightful Lord Arden. Edred's courage is praised, though his father attributes it to fever.
Chapter 13
Lord Arden
Dickie is recognized as the rightful Lord Arden, but the current Lord Arden is honest and willing to give up his claim. Dickie lives happily at Arden Castle, no longer longing to escape to the past. He visits Lady Talbot, who offers comfort and advice, but he keeps his magical secrets. The children discover a bricked-up door behind a stone marked '15. R.D. 08,' which Dickie had scratched in his dream world. They fetch Lord Arden and the lawyer, Mr. Roscoe, to reveal the hidden door bearing the Arden arms.
Chapter 14
XII: The End
Dickie, now Lord Arden, struggles with guilt over displacing his cousins and their father. He decides to sacrifice his present life and return permanently to the Jacobean era, leaving behind his clothes to fake a drowning. He bids farewell to Edred and Elfrida, makes wishes for their happiness and the restoration of the Castle, and vanishes. The chapter concludes with Dickie living out his life in the past, remembered fondly by those he left behind.
Chapter 15
List of Illustrations
A single illustration is listed: a six-pointed star pattern made up of two overlapping triangles.
