The Story of the Amulet · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for The Story of the Amulet by E. Nesbit.
Chapter 1
Dedication
The author dedicates the book to Dr. Wallis Budge of the British Museum, expressing gratitude for his kindness and assistance in its creation.
Chapter 2
The Story of the Amulet
The children reunite with the Psammead in London and purchase a half amulet from a mysterious shop. They meet a learned gentleman who helps them understand the amulet's power, and they embark on their first journey to Ancient Egypt, where they encounter a priest and learn about the missing half of the amulet.
Chapter 3
I: The Psammead
The four children—Cyril, Robert, Anthea, and Jane—are reunited with the Psammead, a sand-fairy they had previously met. After a difficult year with their father away in Manchuria and their mother ill in Madeira, they find the Psammead in a pet shop and rescue it. The Psammead, grateful for being saved, agrees to stay with them, though it can no longer grant wishes.
Chapter 4
II: The Half Amulet
The children reunite with the Psammead in London, who explains that the half amulet they purchased can transport them anywhere in search of its missing piece. They struggle to read the ancient inscription and decide to seek help from a learned gentleman upstairs.
Chapter 5
III: The Past
The children learn from the Amulet's voice that the missing half was destroyed in the past. The Psammead explains that they must travel into the Past to find it, as it still exists there. They visit the learned gentleman to seek his help in reading the charm's name, but he is initially distracted by his studies. The chapter sets up the mechanism for time travel through the Amulet.
Chapter 6
The Fight in the Village
The children find themselves stranded in ancient Egypt after a dangerous battle, but manage to escape back to their own time through the Amulet. They return to Regent's Park at the same moment they left, and later Anthea recounts the adventure to the learned gentleman, who dismisses it as a trick of his mind.
Chapter 7
VI: The Way to Babylon
On a rainy day, the children argue about whether to use the charm again after their frightening adventure in ancient Egypt. Jane initially refuses, but after a conversation with the learned gentleman about Babylon's history and culture, she agrees to go. They travel to Babylon, where a kind woman lends them local clothes and shows them the city. Jane decides to stay with the woman and the Psammead while the others go to the palace to seek an audience with the Queen.
Chapter 8
VII: “The Deepest Dungeon Below the Castle Moat”
The children attend the Queen of Babylon's public justice session, then enjoy a banquet and perform songs for the court. Robert rashly asks the King for the half of the Amulet bearing the name Ur Hekau Setcheh, causing everyone to fall prostrate.
Chapter 9
VIII: The Queen in London
The Queen of Babylon visits London, observes the poverty of the working class, and uses a wish to give them food. She later transforms stockbrokers into Babylonian attire. The children learn that the Queen may soon visit their time, and they prepare a bag for the Psammead. Anthea consults the Learned Gentleman about a dream involving the Queen's ring.
Chapter 10
Atlantis
The children discuss their adventures in the Past and decide to visit Atlantis, taking the learned gentleman with them as a change of scene. They travel via the Amulet to the lost continent, where they explore a magnificent city of marble and gold, encounter public baths, and witness a bull-catching ritual in the Temple of Poseidon.
Chapter 11
X: The Little Black Girl and Julius Caesar
After the overwhelming experience of Atlantis, the children take a break from using the Amulet. While discussing a trip to Kew in St. James's Park, they encounter a sad little girl in a black dress whom they befriend. They learn her name is Imogen and that she is an orphan. Using the Amulet, they travel to ancient Britain to help her find a home. There, they meet a kind queen who adopts Imogen. Later, a wish by the learned gentleman transports them to Julius Caesar's camp. They try to dissuade Caesar from invading Britain, but their descriptions of modern wonders only strengthen his resolve. They escape back to their own time, and Caesar, believing it was a dream, decides to invade anyway.
Chapter 12
XI: Before Pharaoh
The children plan to use gifts to trade for a sight of the Amulet in Ancient Egypt. They each select an item by blindfolded chance and travel to Egypt, where they are swept into a crowd of discontented workers. They are brought before Pharaoh, and after demonstrating magic with matches and a candle, the Psammead is seized. The children are imprisoned but use the Amulet to return home and bring back a geranium to impress their guard.
Chapter 13
XII: The Sorry-Present and the Expelled Little Boy
The children create a 'sorry-present' for Old Nurse to express their gratitude, then visit the Learned Gentleman in the future where they learn of Old Nurse's eventual death and return home to find her alive and well.
Chapter 14
The Shipwreck on the Tin Islands
The children, along with the Egyptian priest Rekh-marā, find themselves on a ship bound for the Tin Islands after Pheles steals the Amulet. They use the Amulet to skip nine months of the voyage, arriving just as the ship is about to be wrecked on the Dragon rocks. Pheles chooses to sacrifice the ship and crew rather than let a foreign ship discover Tyre's secret. The children and Rekh-marā escape using the Amulet, but later find themselves sold as slaves in Tyre. They eventually rejoin Pheles's ship and continue toward the Tin Islands, planning to recover the stolen Amulet.
Chapter 15
XIV: The Heart's Desire
The children, with the Psammead, embark on various adventures including a visit to Maskelyne and Cooke's magic show. The climax occurs when Rekh-marā confronts them, and the two halves of the Amulet merge into one perfect charm. The Amulet's voice declares that no one can pass through it to another time or place, but souls may unite. Rekh-marā and the learned gentleman share a look of kinship, and the children face the consequences of their wishes as their parents and The Lamb return home.
Chapter 16
List of Illustrations
A visual index of illustrations including a primitive amulet, hieroglyphs, a sacred diagram, and a stitched label reading 'Psams Travel Car'.
