The Dewy Morn · Chapter
XXV explained
Felise, anxious after Mary's death, goes early to meet Martial.
What happens
Felise, anxious after Mary's death, goes early to meet Martial. While walking by the brook, she is ambushed and bound by Robert Godwin, who intends to have her trampled by Ruy's horse to destroy her beauty, believing she is Martial's mistress. Martial arrives, shoots Ruy instead of Godwin, rescues Felise, and confesses his love.
Themes in this chapter
Obsession and Jealousy
Godwin's obsessive belief that Felise is Martial's mistress drives him to attempt destroying her beauty.
Beauty and Aesthetic Worship
Godwin's idolization of Felise's beauty leads him to punish her for 'degrading' it, seeking to break it with Ruy's hoof.
Nature and Spirituality
Felise finds solace and hope in the natural landscape—the brook, sunshine, and breeze—amid her anxiety.
Characters to notice
- Felise Goring
Walks by the brook, is ambushed and bound by Godwin, rescued by Martial, and awakens to his love.
- Robert Godwin
Ambushes and binds Felise, intending to have Ruy trample her; flees after Martial shoots the horse.
- Martial Barnard
Arrives in time to shoot Ruy, rescues Felise, and declares his love for her.
- Ruy
Godwin's horse, used in the attempted trampling; shot dead by Martial.
- Mary Shaw
Referenced as having died by suicide, contributing to Felise's anxiety.
Key passages
“His unapproachable idol had degraded herself—she must be punished—her beauty must be broken as idols were broken.”
Godwin believed Felise had sullied her own perfection, so he felt compelled to destroy her beauty as one would shatter a fallen idol.
Reveals Godwin's twisted logic and obsession with Felise's beauty.
“The mere change of his thought—a change effected in the hundredth part of a second—had saved him from this.”
In an instant, Martial shifted his aim from Godwin to the horse, sparing himself a lifetime of guilt.
Highlights Martial's split-second moral decision.
“There are moments when the earth is so beautiful that sorrow seems a dream.”
Sometimes the world's loveliness makes grief feel unreal, as if it were only imagined.
Reflects Felise's emotional state as she walks by the brook.