The Maid of Sker · Chapter
After Seven Years explained
Davy, Jerry Toms, and their Captain travel from Exeter to Barnstaple in a coach, then proceed on foot to Narnton Court.
What happens
Davy, Jerry Toms, and their Captain travel from Exeter to Barnstaple in a coach, then proceed on foot to Narnton Court. They encounter old shipmate Heaviside, who has settled in Davy's old ferryboat and married Nanette, now burdened with six children. The Captain is seen in deep distress, muttering about his brother's betrayal and his own suffering.
Themes in this chapter
Maritime Life and Adventure
The chapter is steeped in nautical language and seafaring camaraderie, from the coach journey described in ship terms to the reunion with Heaviside in the old ferryboat.
Family and Orphanhood
The Captain's anguish over his brother's betrayal and Heaviside's domestic struggles highlight themes of family bonds and their failures.
Characters to notice
- Davy Llewellyn
Narrates the journey and reunion with Heaviside; reflects on his own past and the Captain's sorrow.
- Jerry Toms
Coxswain who accompanies Davy and the Captain; shares in the night's adventures and council.
- Captain Rodney Bluett
The Captain, deeply troubled by his brother's betrayal, is seen walking sadly and muttering to himself.
- Master Heaviside
Old shipmate now living in Davy's former ferryboat, married to Nanette, with six children and another on the way.
- Nanette
Heaviside's sharp wife, who has led him into matrimony and domestic troubles.
Key passages
“From Exeter to Barnstaple, we crowded sail with horses’ tails, and a heavy sea of mud leaping and breaking under the forefoot of our coach.”
We traveled from Exeter to Barnstaple as fast as possible, with the coach splashing through deep mud.
Davy uses nautical metaphors to describe the bumpy coach ride.
“How much longer? How much longer? ... My own brother to have sworn it! Will the Lord never hold His hand from scourging and from crushing me?”
The Captain mutters in despair about his brother's betrayal and his own suffering.
Reveals the Captain's deep personal anguish and a family conflict.
“This poor fellow had been seduced ... into rapid matrimony with that sharp Nanette.”
Heaviside was quickly married to the clever Nanette, much to his regret.
Davy comments on Heaviside's hasty marriage and its consequences.