# VII explained — Memoirs of a Midget > Chapter companion for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare. ## What happens The narrator awakens on the morning of her departure from Beechwood, sharing a final intimate moment with Pollie, who interprets a dream using Napoleon's Book of Fate. They travel to the railway station, where the narrator reflects on memories of her parents and Miss Fenne, and endures a humiliating exchange over her ticket. On the train, a young boy becomes infatuated with her, offering a poignant farewell. ## Themes in this chapter ### Solitude and Self-Discovery The narrator's departure from Beechwood marks a transition into an unknown future, prompting introspection and a sense of self apart from her past. ### Mortality and Memory The narrator recalls her parents' graves and Miss Fenne's morbid conversation, while the dying cow and the fleeting beauty of nature evoke thoughts of loss. ### Deception and Self-Deception The narrator mocks the Dream Book's predictions yet later reflects on living in 'great state,' hinting at self-deception about her own fortunes. ## Character check-ins ### Unknown (Narrator) The narrator experiences a mix of sorrow and anticipation as she leaves Beechwood, reflecting on memories and her uncertain future. ### Pollie Pollie is the narrator's devoted companion, helping with preparations, sharing in grief over a cow's death, and consulting the Dream Book. ### Mr. Waggett Mr. Waggett drives the narrator and Pollie to the station in his wagonette and attempts to negotiate a child's fare for her. ### Miss Fenne Recalled in a memory, Miss Fenne took the narrator to the churchyard and spoke at length about death and the grave. ### Mrs. Ballard Mentioned as the source of the Dream Book; Pollie recounts her dream about eggs and subsequent move to London. ## Key lines > First impressions endure. No great store of sagacity was needed to tell me that. So I had chosen my clothes carefully, determined to show my landlady that I meant to have my own way and not be trifled with. The narrator understands that first impressions are lasting, so she dressed deliberately to assert her independence to her new landlady. _Reflects the narrator's strategic self-presentation as she embarks on a new chapter._ > What was the future but an emptiness? Would that I might vanish away and be but a portion of the sweetness of the morning. The narrator feels the future is hollow and wishes to dissolve into the beauty of the present moment. _Highlights the narrator's existential melancholy and desire for escape._ > Lor, Mr. Waggett, I'd make it a quarter for 'ee if it was within regulations. But 'tain't so, the young lady's full natural size in the eye of the law, and I couldn't give in to 'ee not even if 'twas a honeymooning you was after. The ticket seller refuses Mr. Waggett's request for a child's fare, stating the narrator is legally considered an adult despite her small stature. _Illustrates the narrator's public humiliation and the rigid application of rules regarding her size._ > Oh, but mamma, mamma, I do beseech you, please, please, I want her for mine; I want her for mine! A young boy on the train pleads with his mother to keep the narrator, having become instantly infatuated with her. _A moment of unexpected affection that contrasts with the narrator's earlier loneliness._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/vii - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters