The House of Arden · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The House of Arden by E. Nesbit.
Chapter 1
I: Arden's Lord
Edred and Elfrida Arden learn that Edred has inherited the title of Lord Arden from a distant cousin. The children, who live with their aunt in a seaside lodging house, explore the ruined Arden Castle and the old lord's house, where they discover a spell for finding treasure hidden in a book. Edred resolves to recite the spell at sunset.
Chapter 2
The Mouldiwarp
Elfrida and Edred encounter the living golden crest of the Arden family, which transforms into a white talking mole called the Mouldiwarp. The Mouldiwarp challenges them to be nice to each other for a whole day and then look for 'the door' in the house. After several failed attempts, they succeed in being polite and cooperative, and the Mouldiwarp reappears when they recite a poem. Edred expresses a desire to travel into the past to find the treasure, and the Mouldiwarp gives them the task of finding the door after a full day of kindness.
Chapter 3
III: In Boney’s Times
Edred and Elfrida find themselves transported back to 1807, where they are mistaken for children of the Arden household. They encounter a wise woman who prophesies the future, including the French landing in Lymchurch Bay and three signs involving the white Mouldiwarp. Lord Arden initially scoffs but witnesses the signs, leading to a growing belief in the children's strange adventure.
Chapter 4
IV: The Landing of the French
Elfrida wakes to see a beacon bonfire lit, signaling the French are coming, but she is too sleepy to care. In the grey morning, a storm tears open their window, and the children go to the cliff where a crowd of armed men watches a French ship, the Bonne Esperance, drive toward the rocks. The ship wrecks, and Lord Arden declares the French have landed. Elfrida, distressed, summons the Mouldiwarp, who tells them to return to the castle. They find the attic door, change back into their own clothes, and learn from the mole that they are back in 1907. The chapter then shifts to a dinner in 1807, where Lord Arden, spurred by the wise woman's prophecy and rumors, arms the village. The children explore, seeing men sharpening weapons and burying valuables, and women mending uniforms, while lookouts scan the sea.
Chapter 5
V: The Highwayman and the ⸻
Elfrida is rescued by a mysterious highwayman who returns her to Arden Castle, where she and Cousin Bet discover he is the Chevalier St. George (the Old Pretender) seeking refuge. Meanwhile, back in the present, Elfrida and Edred consult the Mouldiwarp about setting back the clock, and Elfrida composes a poem to summon the mole. The Mouldiwarp instructs them to stop the clock by sitting on the second hand, leading to a surreal vision of the lawn stretching. The chapter also includes a flashback to Elfrida's uncomfortable journey from London to Tonbridge in a bumpy carriage with Cousin Bet.
Chapter 6
The Secret Panel
Elfrida recounts her adventure in the past to Edred, who initially doubts her story. After a quarrel and reconciliation, they discuss the hidden jewels and the secret room. Elfrida recalls her encounter with Sir Edward Talbot, who won a wager by robbing the Arden jewels and hiding at Arden Castle. She cleverly deflects inquiries from Talbot's pursuers, protecting him. The chapter explores sibling dynamics, the blurring of time, and the thrill of historical adventure.
Chapter 7
The Key of the Parlour
Elfrida is trapped behind the secret panel in the parlour, having hidden the key in her pocket. Edred is unable to open the panel and becomes increasingly anxious. After a long wait, Aunt Edith arrives, finds a labeled key on the path, and frees both children. They explore the secret chamber together. Later, Aunt Edith explains the family's financial situation, and the children resolve to find the treasure and avoid quarreling.
Chapter 8
Guy Fawkes
After a three-day quarrel, Elfrida and Edred explore Arden Castle, attempting to draw it and reading its history. They dress in Jacobean costumes and use the Brownie camera to travel back in time to the early 1600s. Edred attends a royal entertainment at Whitehall, while Elfrida is left with an old nurse and meets her Cousin Dick, with whom she plans to play ball.
Chapter 9
The Prisoners in the Tower
Elfrida and Edred are imprisoned in the Tower of London, accused of high treason for their knowledge of the Gunpowder Plot. Separated, they endure captivity until Edred meets Sir Walter Raleigh and later orchestrates a daring escape with the help of a witch nurse. They return to Arden House, where the nurse summons the Mouldiwarp to send them back to their own time, but the Mouldiwarp insists they must jump off the roof in the snow.
Chapter 10
White Wings and a Brownie
Edred seeks revenge on Mr. Parados (Parrot-nose) for his earlier betrayal. With Elfrida and Cousin Richard, they plan to dump snow into his room. Richard reveals he has knowledge of the future (Brownie camera, cricket scores), blurring the lines between times. The children escape the soldiers by reciting a poem to the Mouldiwarp, which creates a magical snow carriage drawn by swans. They fly to Arden Castle, hoping to photograph it, and discover a mysterious tower.
Chapter 11
Developments
Old Beale tells Elfrida and Edred the tragic story of a previous Miss Elfrida, who jilted Mr. Frewin on her wedding night to elope with her true love, Cousin Dick. After Dick's death, she returned home with her baby, only for the baby to be stolen. The children learn that the Arden lands are to be sold by the Tallow King, and they renew their hope of finding the treasure to buy back the land. Later, they attempt to use old clothes from chests to travel back in time and discover where the treasure is hidden, but most chests are locked, and they decide to try the open chest with gold-embroidered clothes.
Chapter 12
Films and Clouds
After developing photographs of the castle, the children accidentally burn their films. They hide the prints in the History of the Ardens and discuss rebuilding the castle and helping the villagers with the treasure. Aunt Edith shares the story of the family's financial ruin due to supporting the Young Pretender. Later, the Mouldiwarp appears and uses cloud magic to transport them to the past, where they dance inside a swirling cloud funnel.
Chapter 13
May-Blossom and Pearls
Elfrida and Edred participate in a May Day dance before King Henry VIII and Queen Anne Boleyn. Elfrida is pushed forward to present flowers and recite a poem, but her knowledge of Anne's tragic fate distresses her. After the dance, they flee into the woods with Old Betty Lovell, who warns them of the King's anger. They escape into the Mouldiwarp's cave, where Richard Arden refuses to return to their modern times, criticizing its social injustices. The Mouldiwarp prepares a clock for their return home.
Chapter 14
XIV: The Finding of the Treasure
Edred and Elfrida, with the Mouldiwarp's help and Cousin Richard's assistance, use the magic clock to travel to a hidden golden plain where their father and Uncle Jim are imprisoned. They help them escape through a crevice in the cliff, returning to the smugglers' cave. The chapter ends with Elfrida reuniting with her father at Arden Castle, realizing the true treasure is family love.
