The Maid of Sker · Chapter
V: A Little Orphan Mermaid explained
Davy finds a small girl, Bardie, alone on the shore after a shipwreck.
What happens
Davy finds a small girl, Bardie, alone on the shore after a shipwreck. He takes her into his boat, cares for her, and decides to bring her to the old Sker-house, despite his initial hesitation. The chapter explores his growing attachment to the child and his moral reflections on responsibility and providence.
Themes in this chapter
Family and Orphanhood
Bardie is orphaned by shipwreck, and Davy becomes her reluctant caretaker, reflecting on family loss and responsibility.
Maritime Life and Adventure
The chapter is steeped in the details of fishing, boat handling, and the sea as both a source of livelihood and danger.
Morality and Hypocrisy
Davy wrestles with his conscience about taking in Bardie, weighing prudence against compassion, and later regrets not trusting Providence.
Characters to notice
- Davy Llewellyn
Davy discovers Bardie on the shore, cares for her, and decides to take her to the Sker-house. He reflects on his duty and providence.
- Bardie
A tiny orphan girl found by Davy after a shipwreck. She is confused, tired, and asks for her family. Davy nicknames her 'Bardie'.
- Bunny
Mentioned by Davy as a little girl at home, about twice Bardie's size, to comfort Bardie.
- Evan Thomas
Mentioned as being out of the way on the night Davy finds the boat, which Davy sees as providential.
- Sandy Macraw
Mentioned as an envious coastguard who poaches on Davy's fishing rights and had set up a boat to rival him.
Key passages
“The Lord in heaven have mercy on the little dear! I cried, without another thought about it; and then I went and sat close by, so that she lay between my feet.”
Davy prays for the child and sits beside her protectively.
Shows Davy's immediate compassion despite his earlier hesitation.
“I thought of her mother, well drowned, no doubt, and the father who must have petted her, and of the many times to come when none would care to comfort her.”
Davy imagines Bardie's drowned parents and her future loneliness.
Highlights the theme of orphanhood and Davy's empathy.
“It was settled in my mind what to do with Bardie. She must go to the old Sker-house.”
Davy decides to take Bardie to the Sker-house rather than keep her himself.
Key decision point in the chapter, reflecting his internal conflict.