School Stories · Chapter
The Babe and the Dragon explained
The Babe, a talented Scottish footballer at St.
What happens
The Babe, a talented Scottish footballer at St. Austin's, must choose between joining Dacre's or Merevale's house for the upcoming inter-house cup. His decision is influenced by his traumatic encounters with Miss Florence Beezley, a learned and intimidating friend of his sister, who relentlessly quizzes him on literature. After learning that Miss Beezley is engaged to Mr. Dacre, the Babe decides to join Merevale's, partly to avoid future breakfast and supper duties with Dacre. Charteris, the school journalist, reveals the engagement and teases the Babe about it.
Themes in this chapter
Social Hierarchy and Initiation
The Babe's choice of house and his awkward social interactions with Miss Beezley illustrate the pressures of fitting into school and adult social circles.
Athleticism and Sport
The inter-house football cup and the Babe's football prowess are central to the plot, driving his decision and the school's dynamics.
Trickery and Cunning
Charteris's journalistic scheming and the Babe's strategic choice of house to avoid Dacre's company show subtle cunning.
Characters to notice
- The Babe
The protagonist, a skilled Scottish centre three-quarter, deciding between houses and dreading Miss Beezley's company.
- Charteris
A prefect in Merevale's who edits The Glow Worm and informs the Babe of Dacre's engagement to Miss Beezley.
- Miss Florence Beezley
A learned Girton student who torments the Babe with literary questions and later becomes engaged to Mr. Dacre.
- Mr. Dacre
A master at St. Austin's, sarcastic and unpopular, engaged to Miss Beezley.
- Mr. Merevale
Head of Merevale's house, whose team the Babe ultimately chooses to join.
Key passages
“Do you read Browning, Mr. MacArthur? ... Have you read 'Pippa Passes'? ... Have you read 'Fifine at the Fair'? ... Have you read 'Sordello'? ... What have you read, Mr. MacArthur?”
Miss Beezley quizzes the Babe on Browning's works, exposing his limited literary knowledge.
Highlights the Babe's discomfort and Miss Beezley's intimidating intellectualism.
“He lofted the bird out of the dish on to the tablecloth twice in the first minute. Stifling a mad inclination to call out 'Fore!' or something to that effect, he laughed a hollow, mirthless laugh, and replaced the errant fowl.”
The Babe clumsily carves a chicken, sending it flying onto the tablecloth, and suppresses a golf-like exclamation.
Illustrates the Babe's awkwardness and the comedic tension during the lunch with Miss Beezley.
“When I come as a boarder, I shall be a House-prefect, shan't I, as I'm in the Sixth? ... And prefects have to go to breakfast and supper, and that sort of thing, pretty often with the House-beak, don't they?”
The Babe confirms that as a prefect he would have regular meals with the house master, influencing his decision to avoid Dacre.
Shows the Babe's practical reasoning in choosing Merevale's over Dacre's.