Short Fiction · Chapter
VII: The Walk to Warm’ell Cross and Afterwards explained
After the excisemen's seizure of smuggled goods, the village resists by sabotaging carts and harnesses.
What happens
After the excisemen's seizure of smuggled goods, the village resists by sabotaging carts and harnesses. Stockdale grows increasingly troubled by Lizzy's involvement in the smuggling trade. As the excisemen depart with the confiscated tubs, Lizzy leads Stockdale to Warm'ell Cross, where a planned attack by villagers recaptures the goods. The chapter concludes with Lizzy and Stockdale reconciling, leading to their marriage and her transformation into a minister's wife who writes a tract on repentance.
Themes in this chapter
Deception and Secrecy
Lizzy and the villagers secretly sabotage the carts and harnesses to thwart the excisemen, while Lizzy conceals her knowledge of the planned attack from Stockdale.
Sacrifice and Duty
Stockdale's sense of duty compels him to want to intervene in the attack, while Lizzy's loyalty to her community and trade leads her to participate in the recapture of the goods.
Love and Marriage
Despite the tensions over smuggling, Stockdale and Lizzy come to an understanding, marry, and build a life together, with Lizzy adopting the role of a minister's wife.
Characters to notice
- Mr. Stockdale
Grows thoughtful and depressed after the excisemen's raid; attempts to read but fails; accompanies Lizzy to Warm'ell Cross; ultimately marries Lizzy and helps her write a tract.
- Lizzy Newberry
Shows tiredness and a mood not much brighter than Stockdale's; orchestrates the village's passive resistance by removing linchpins and harness parts; leads Stockdale to the attack at Warm'ell Cross; later marries Stockdale and writes a tract using her own experience.
- Martha
Runs in excitedly to report the excisemen's difficulties with the carts and harnesses.
- Hardman
The blacksmith who hides behind a holly-bush to avoid the excisemen; is discovered and forced to work.
Key passages
“Latimer strode hither and thither with a lump of chalk in his hand, marking broad-arrows so vigorously on every vehicle and set of harness that he came across, that it seemed as if he would chalk broad-arrows on the very hedges and roads.”
Latimer walked around energetically, using a piece of chalk to mark government seizure symbols on every cart and harness he saw, as if he would mark even the hedges and roads.
Illustrates the exciseman's zealous enforcement of government seizure.
“The owner of every conveyance so marked was bound to give it up for Government purposes.”
Anyone whose vehicle was marked had to surrender it for official use.
Explains the legal consequence of the broad-arrow marking.
“They have gone now to the blacksmith's to get some made, but he's nowhere to be found!”
They went to the blacksmith to get new parts made, but he was missing.
Highlights the villagers' passive resistance by hiding the blacksmith.
“If we could get hold of him, we'd e'en a'most drag him by the hair of his head to his anvil, where he ought to be.”
If we could find him, we would drag him by the hair to his anvil where he should be working.
Shows the exciseman's frustration with the blacksmith's disappearance.
“I and Owlett and the others paid thirty shillings for every one of the tubs before they were put on board at Cherbourg, and if a king who is nothing to us sends his people to steal our property, we have a right to steal it back again.”
We paid thirty shillings for each tub before they were loaded at Cherbourg, and if a king who means nothing to us sends his men to steal our property, we have the right to take it back.
Lizzy's justification for the smuggling trade, framing it as a matter of rightful ownership.
