# XVII explained — Memoirs of a Midget

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

## What happens

The narrator and Pollie share a tense, mirthless laugh after their ordeal in the High Street. Mr. Crimble visits to confess his guilt over the incident and to ask the narrator not to tell Fanny, though he pretends to suggest the opposite. The narrator agrees to keep silent, feeling a new understanding with him. Later, Mrs. Bowater offers her own perspective on Mr. Crimble's character. The narrator passes the heavy weeks with reading, learning knots, and playing cards with Mrs. Bowater, while writing unsent letters to Fanny.

## Themes in this chapter

### Deception and Self-Deception

Mr. Crimble's visit is a study in self-deception: he pretends to seek the narrator's generosity while actually asking her to conceal the truth from Fanny.

### Solitude and Self-Discovery

The narrator's quiet weeks at Beechwood, her reading, card games, and unsent letters, deepen her inner life and self-awareness.

## Character check-ins

### Unknown (Narrator)

Reflects on her experience in the High Street, her conversation with Mr. Crimble, and her quiet life at Beechwood.

### Pollie

Laughs hysterically with the narrator in the cab, later visits the narrator's room to say goodnight.

### Mr. Crimble

Visits to confess his guilt about the High Street incident and asks the narrator not to tell Fanny.

### Mrs. Bowater

Takes tea with the narrator and Pollie, plays cards, and offers her opinion on Mr. Crimble.

### Fanny Bowater

Absent but central to the narrator's thoughts and letters; the narrator dreams of her.

## Key lines

> I was just an exquisite icicle of solitude⁠—as if I had never been born.

In that moment, I felt perfectly alone and detached, as though I had no past or identity.

_The narrator experiences a profound, almost transcendent moment of isolation after Mr. Crimble's confession._

> It was experience: oh, and past. I loved it and the streets, and the shops, and all those grinning, gnashing faces, and even you.

That ordeal was a valuable experience, now over. I actually enjoyed the chaos, the city, and even your company.

_The narrator reassures Mr. Crimble that she does not resent the High Street incident, but rather found it thrilling._

## Links

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