# The Night Watch and the Return of Fanny explained — Memoirs of a Midget

> Chapter companion for Memoirs of a Midget by Walter de la Mare.

## What happens

The narrator recounts a nocturnal adventure in the woods, her secret stargazing, and the unsettling discovery upon returning home that a muffled figure—likely Fanny—is watching from an upper window. She later learns more about Fanny Bowater, Mrs. Bowater's daughter, and feels a growing dread of her impending return for Christmas. The chapter explores themes of solitude, self-discovery, and the tension between the narrator's inner world and the encroaching presence of others.

## Themes in this chapter

### Solitude and Self-Discovery

The narrator's secret stargazing and communion with the night woods represent a journey into her own imagination and inner self, away from societal expectations.

### Deception and Self-Deception

The narrator hides her nightly expeditions from Mrs. Bowater, buries a bloodstained nightgown, and pretends to be bold while feeling exposed and fearful of being 'found out.'

## Character check-ins

### Unknown (Narrator)

The narrator recounts her secret stargazing expeditions, her fear of being discovered, and her complex feelings about Fanny's return.

### Fanny Bowater

Fanny is revealed to be Mrs. Bowater's daughter, a schoolmistress returning home for Christmas; the narrator dreads her arrival and feels she may come 'between us.'

### Mrs. Bowater

Mrs. Bowater shares details about Fanny's childhood and her husband's wandering eye, and the narrator notices a resemblance between her sentiments and those of her godmother.

### Mr. Bowater

Mr. Bowater is described through a photograph as a young father with a 'sleek appearance' and an 'eye for every petticoat'; the narrator develops a romantic interest in him, bowing to his portrait.

## Key lines

> Love for the frosty, star-roofed woods, that was easy. And yet what if—though easy—it is not enough?

The narrator questions whether her simple love for nature and solitude is sufficient to fulfill her deeper needs.

_This moment of introspection highlights the tension between her contentment with solitude and a yearning for something more._

> I was perfectly certain that I was being thought about, up there.

The narrator feels an unspoken awareness from the figure at the window, sensing that her presence is known and observed.

_This marks a shift from her secret freedom to the anxiety of being watched, foreshadowing the intrusion of Fanny into her private world._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters/x
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/memoirs_of_a_midget_se/chapters