Lud-in-the-Mist · Chapter
Master Ambrose Keeps His Vow explained
Ambrose Honeysuckle, transformed by his talks with Moonlove, calms the panicked Senate and populace when a fairy army invades Lud-in-the-Mist.
What happens
Ambrose Honeysuckle, transformed by his talks with Moonlove, calms the panicked Senate and populace when a fairy army invades Lud-in-the-Mist. He persuades them to welcome the Fairies as friends, leading to a miraculous arrival of Nathaniel and Ranulph and the distribution of fairy fruit to all.
Themes in this chapter
Reality vs. Delusion
The Crabapple Blossoms are haunted by an evil dream that profoundly influences their souls; the town's perception of Nathaniel shifts to 'poor old Nat,' a ghost of the past.
Transformation and Growth
Ambrose Honeysuckle's stiff mind creaks on its hinges as he listens to Moonlove; he transforms from a conservative senator into a demagogue who welcomes the Fairies.
Tradition vs. Progress
The Senate debates trivial matters while facing a fairy invasion; Ambrose proposes breaking centuries of tradition by serving fairy fruit at the annual feast.
Fear of the Unknown
The populace panics at the fairy invasion, but Ambrose calms them by urging acceptance of the unknown.
Characters to notice
- Master Ambrose Honeysuckle
Shows boundless tenderness to Moonlove, undergoes a change of heart, and becomes the strongest man in the Senate, persuading the town to welcome the fairy army.
- Moonlove Honeysuckle
Moody and haunted after her return, she convinces her father that only fairy fruit can restore her peace.
- Master Nathaniel Chanticleer
Believed dead by most, he returns riding a white charger at the head of the fairy army.
- Ranulph Chanticleer
Returns from Fairyland riding beside his father Nathaniel.
- Master Polydore Vigil
Considers placing empty coffins for Nathaniel and Ranulph; his speech is interrupted by news of the fairy invasion.
- Mumchance
Brings the terrifying news that an army of Fairies has crossed the Debatable Hills.
- Sebastian Thug
Becomes one of Ambrose's most ardent supporters in calming the populace.
- Bawdy Bess
Supports Ambrose alongside Sebastian Thug in exhorting the citizens to welcome the Fairies.
Key passages
“At first the Crabapple Blossoms felt as if they had awakened from an evil dream, but they soon found that it was a dream that had profoundly influenced their souls.”
The girls initially thought they had escaped a nightmare, but realized the dream had deeply changed them.
Describes the lingering psychological impact on the returned girls.
“One of our proverbs says, Remember that the Dapple flows into the Dawl. I have sometimes wondered, recently, whether we have ever really understood the true meaning of that proverb.”
Ambrose questions whether the town has grasped the deeper significance of the proverb about the two rivers.
Ambrose uses the proverb to argue that fairy fruit is a natural and necessary gift.
“Why should we not make a virtue of necessity and throw our gates wide to them as friends?”
Ambrose suggests turning the invasion into an opportunity by welcoming the Fairies as allies.
His radical proposal to open the gates instead of fighting.
“the trees broke into leaf and the masts of all the ships in the bay into blossom; that day and night the cocks crowed without ceasing; that violets and anemones sprang up through the snow in the streets, and that mothers embraced their dead sons, and maids their sweethearts drowned at sea.”
Miraculous signs of life and reunion occurred after the fairy army entered the town.
Legendary accounts of the fairy army's miraculous effects.
