Harding’s Luck · Chapter
XII: The End explained
Dickie, now Lord Arden, struggles with guilt over displacing his cousins and their father.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Loyalty and Sacrifice
Dickie sacrifices his present lordship and happiness to restore his cousins' family to their rightful place.
Family and Belonging
Dickie's love for Edred and Elfrida drives his decision to leave, prioritizing their well-being over his own.
Morality and Redemption
Dickie's choice to give up his title is an act of moral integrity, redeeming any perceived wrong in displacing the Arden family.
Characters to notice
- Dickie Harding
Now Lord Arden, he grapples with guilt and decides to return to the past forever.
- Edred
Bids a tearful farewell to Dickie in the cave, accepting his sacrifice.
- Elfrida
Heartbroken at Dickie's departure, she pleads with him to stay but ultimately says goodbye.
- Mr. Beale
Mentioned as the tramp Dickie helped; Beale is now a new man thanks to Dickie.
- Mouldiwarp
Invoked by Dickie to grant his final wishes and enable his return to the past.
Key passages
“Suppose he gave them up—the priceless possessions? Suppose he went away to that sure retreat that was still left him—the past?”
Dickie considers abandoning his new title and returning to the past as a solution to his guilt.
Internal conflict leading to his decision to sacrifice his present life.
“I wish I may go back to James the First's time, and live out my life there, and do honor in my life and death to the house of Arden.”
Dickie wishes aloud to return permanently to the Jacobean era to live honorably as an Arden.
His final wish before vanishing, sealing his fate.
“Shocking bathing fatality, the newspapers said. 'Lord Arden drowned. The body not yet recovered.'”
The public believes Dickie drowned in a tragic accident, but his body is never found.
The cover story for his disappearance into the past.