# I: On the Road explained — The Room in the Dragon Volant

> Chapter companion for The Room in the Dragon Volant by J. Sheridan Le Fanu.

## 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.

## Character check-ins

### 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 lines

> 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._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se/chapters/i-on-the-road
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_room_in_the_dragon_volant_se/chapters