# XXV explained — The Dewy Morn

> Chapter companion for The Dewy Morn by Richard Jefferies.

## What happens

Felise hurries to town to secure money for the horse Ruy, which she impulsively bought without funds. She pawns her pearls to a scheming silversmith for twenty-eight pounds, then withdraws her savings to complete the seventy-pound purchase. Meanwhile, Rosa Wood, watching from a window, identifies Felise as the woman Martial has left her for, confirming her suspicions.

## Themes in this chapter

### Obsession and Jealousy

Rosa Wood's obsessive watch for Martial and her instant jealousy upon seeing Felise drive through town.

### Social Class and Injustice

Felise's difficulty obtaining a loan due to her sex and age; the silversmith's manipulative schemes against Mr. Goring's small property.

### Freedom vs. Control

Felise's impulsive purchase of Ruy and her desperate efforts to secure the money reflect her struggle for autonomy against financial and social constraints.

## Character check-ins

### Felise Goring

Hurries to town to pawn her pearls and withdraw savings to pay for the horse Ruy, which she bought impulsively.

### Robert Godwin

Mentioned as the Squire's agent who desires Goring's land; Felise fears he might buy Ruy before she can pay.

### Mr. Goring

Felise's guardian; his small property is eyed by the silversmith and Godwin for eventual acquisition.

### Rosa Wood

Watches from her window, identifies Felise as the woman Martial left her for, and sends a servant to confirm the carriage's owner.

### Martial Barnard

Rosa's former fiancé; he avoids the town, but Rosa watches for him at the window.

### Ruy

The horse Felise buys for seventy pounds; she fears Godwin might sell it to someone else.

## Key lines

> She was so fearful lest Godwin should sell to someone else, lest Ruy should be sent away to some market at a distance and disappear, that she bid for him before she had made arrangements to obtain the money.

Felise was terrified that Godwin might sell Ruy to another buyer or send him to a distant market, so she made the bid without first securing the funds.

_Felise's impulsive purchase driven by fear of losing the horse._

> The silversmith, halting at every step and considering, had noticed that Mr. Goring's little property lay like a wedge between two sections of the Cornleigh estate.

The limping silversmith observed that Mr. Goring's small plot of land was wedged between two parts of the Cornleigh estate, making it valuable for consolidation.

_The silversmith's long-term scheme to acquire Goring's land._

> Rosa could not find the woman. Though she no longer visited at the Manor House, the Misses Barnard called upon her just the same as during their brother's engagement; but these ladies, too, were at fault.

Rosa was unable to identify the woman Martial left her for, and even the Misses Barnard, who still visited her, could not help.

_Rosa's fruitless search for her rival._

> That afternoon however, at the sound of wheels, Rosa looked up, saw Felise, and said to herself instantly, 'There she is.'

When Rosa heard the wheels and saw Felise, she immediately knew this was the woman who had taken Martial from her.

_Rosa's intuitive recognition of Felise as her rival._

> The old gentleman really possessed a certain air of fashion, an impressive, magnificent kind of courtesy—there was a style in the very way he placed a chair for his visitor.

The silversmith had a refined, elegant manner, and his courteous gestures were almost theatrical.

_Description of the silversmith's polished but deceptive demeanor._

> For the craft and subtleity of this world are too deep for most of us. For instance, who would suspect an oyster of deceit?

The world is full of hidden cunning; even an oyster might be deceptive, as shown by the old gentleman who insisted his oysters be opened at his door to prevent substitution.

_Narrator's commentary on the need for caution in dealings with the silversmith._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se/chapters/volume-i-xxv
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_dewy_morn_se/chapters