The Room in the Dragon Volant · Chapter
I: On the Road explained
The narrator, a young Englishman of 23, travels from Brussels to Paris in 1815 after inheriting a fortune.
What happens
The narrator, a young Englishman of 23, travels from Brussels to Paris in 1815 after inheriting a fortune. On the road, he encounters a broken-down carriage carrying an elderly invalid gentleman and a captivating lady in a black veil. He helps them, and later follows them to the Belle Étoile inn, where he glimpses the lady's beautiful face in a mirror before she notices him and lowers her veil.
Themes in this chapter
Love and Obsession
The narrator is immediately captivated by the lady's appearance and voice, following her carriage and sneaking into her room to gaze at her.
Deception and Appearance vs. Reality
The lady's black veil and the old man's muffler conceal their identities; the narrator's romantic assumptions may be misleading.
Class and Wealth
The narrator's inherited wealth enables his travels; the noble status of the strangers (indicated by their arms and carriage) fascinates him.
Characters to notice
- The Narrator
A 23-year-old Englishman traveling to Paris after inheriting a fortune; he is curious, romantic, and audacious.
- Count de St. Alyre
The elderly invalid gentleman in the broken-down carriage, wearing a black muffler and black wig; he thanks the narrator profusely in French.
- Countess de St. Alyre
The beautiful lady in the black veil; she speaks broken English with a sweet voice and later is seen reading a letter in the inn, revealing a melancholy, lovely face.
Key passages
“I was posting up to Paris from Bruxelles, following, I presume, the route that the allied army had pursued but a few weeks before—more carriages than you could believe were pursuing the same line.”
I was traveling by carriage from Brussels to Paris, likely on the same road the Allied army had taken shortly after Waterloo, and the road was crowded with countless other carriages.
Sets the historical context of post-Waterloo travel.
“The arms that were emblazoned on the panel were peculiar; I remember especially, one device, it was the figure of a stork, painted in carmine, upon what the heralds call a 'field or.'”
The coat of arms on the carriage door was unusual; I particularly recall a red stork on a gold background, which is a heraldic symbol of vigilance.
Foreshadows the theme of vigilance and hidden danger.
“I was instinctively aware that the lady was looking on me with no unwilling eyes; and, through her veil, I felt the power of her gaze.”
I sensed that the lady was not displeased by my presence, and even through her veil, I could feel her eyes upon me.
Highlights the narrator's romantic infatuation and the mysterious allure of the lady.