The House of Arden · Chapter
The Prisoners in the Tower explained
Elfrida and Edred are imprisoned in the Tower of London, accused of high treason for their knowledge of the Gunpowder Plot.
What happens
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.
Themes in this chapter
Courage and Resourcefulness
Edred plans and executes the escape from the Tower, showing bravery and quick thinking, while Elfrida supports him without spoiling his achievement.
The Past as a Living Presence
The children are fully immersed in 1605, interacting with historical figures like Sir Walter Raleigh and experiencing the Gunpowder Plot firsthand.
Magic and Adventure
The witch nurse summons the Mouldiwarp through a silver salver, and the children must jump off a roof in the snow to return home, blending magic with peril.
Characters to notice
- Elfrida Arden
Imprisoned in the Tower, she sews a sampler and longs for home, but refuses to leave without Edred.
- Edred Arden
Lodged in the White Tower, he meets Sir Walter Raleigh and later plans the escape, showing newfound courage and resourcefulness.
- The Mouldiwarp
Summoned by the witch nurse via a silver salver, it appears cross and insists the children must jump off the roof to return to their own time.
- Sir Walter Raleigh
A fellow prisoner in the Tower, he converses with Edred and influences his growth in bravery and wisdom.
- Lady Arden
Imprisoned with Elfrida, she is the children's mother in the 1605 timeline.
- Master Richard Arden
The 1605 Richard Arden, who participates in the escape and is sent to bed afterward.
- Mr. Parados
Mentioned as a scowling figure; Edred later gets even with him after the escape.
Key passages
“Imprisoned in the Tower of London, accused of high treason, and having confessed to a too intimate knowledge of the Gunpowder Plot, Elfrida could not help feeling that it would be nice to be back again in her own time, and at Arden, where, if you left events alone, and didn’t interfere with them by any sort of magic mouldiwarpiness, nothing dangerous, romantic or thrilling would ever happen.”
Locked in the Tower for knowing too much about the Gunpowder Plot, Elfrida wished she were home at Arden, where life was safe and boring if she avoided magic.
Elfrida reflects on the consequences of their adventurous meddling.
“I am happy to command your admiration,” he said. “I mean your clothes;” said Edred, and then feeling with a shock that this was not the way to behave, he added, “Your face is splendid too—only I’ve been taught manners, and I know you mustn’t tell people they’re handsome in their faces.”
Edred awkwardly compliments the gentleman's clothes and then his face, remembering his manners too late.
Edred's first conversation with Sir Walter Raleigh, showing his youthful honesty and social learning.
“You’ve no manners,” it said to the nurse, “bringing me here in that offhand, rude way, without ‘With your leave,’ or ‘By your leave’! Elfrida could easily have made some poetry.”
The Mouldiwarp scolds the nurse for summoning it without proper poetic ritual, preferring Elfrida's verse.
The Mouldiwarp's irritation at being summoned by non-poetic means.
