# Castilian Amoroso explained — The Story of the Treasure Seekers > Chapter companion for The Story of the Treasure Seekers by E. Nesbit. ## What happens The Bastable children decide to try a get-rich-quick scheme by becoming agents for a sherry called Castilian Amoroso, using their last half-crown to send for a sample. They attempt to sell the wine to the butcher and later to the local vicar, Mr. Mallow, but both attempts fail—the butcher politely declines, and the vicar delivers a moral lecture on the evils of drink. The chapter ends with Dora in tears, feeling she has failed in her duty to care for her siblings. ## Themes in this chapter ### Poverty and Class Consciousness The children's desperate attempt to earn money through a wine-selling scheme highlights their awareness of their fallen fortunes and the pressures of poverty. ### Innocence and Moral Development The children's naive belief in the advertisement's promise contrasts with the moral rebuke from the vicar, and Dora's emotional struggle reflects her growing sense of responsibility. ### The Contrast Between Children and Adults The children's earnest but clumsy sales attempts are met with adult condescension and moralizing, underscoring the gap between their imaginative world and adult realities. ## Character check-ins ### Dicky Bastable Proposes the scheme to sell Castilian Amoroso and writes the letter to order the sample. ### Dora Bastable Contributes her godmother's money to the scheme, expresses moral doubts, and later breaks down crying, feeling she has failed her mother's dying wish. ### Alice Bastable Takes the lead in attempting to sell the sherry to the butcher, reciting the sales pitch from the circular. ### Oswald Bastable Finds the corkscrew, observes the encounter with the butcher, and later speaks to the vicar about the wine. ### H. O. Bastable Posts the letter ordering the sample and later mispronounces 'Amoroso' as 'Amorolio'. ### Noël Bastable Briefly mentioned as playing admirals with the newspaper containing the advertisement. ## Key lines > Any lady or gentleman can easily earn two pounds a week in their spare time. Sample and instructions, two shillings. Packed free from observation. The advertisement promises that anyone can make two pounds weekly in their spare time by sending two shillings for a sample and instructions, discreetly packaged. _This is the advertisement that inspires the children's scheme._ > I don't think it's much good, and I don't think it's quite nice to sell wine Dora expresses her doubt about the scheme and her moral discomfort with selling alcohol. _Dora's initial hesitation foreshadows the later conflict with the vicar._ > Do you know, have you never been taught that it is the drinking of wine and spirits — yes, and beer , which makes half the homes in England full of wretched little children, and degraded , miserable parents? The vicar scolds the children, claiming that alcohol consumption causes poverty and misery in many English homes. _The vicar's temperance lecture contrasts sharply with the children's innocent commercial venture._ > Oh dear, oh dear — I do try, I do. And when Mother died she said, 'Dora, take care of the others, and teach them to be good, and keep them out of trouble and make them happy.' Dora sobs that she has tried to fulfill her mother's dying wish to care for and guide her siblings, but feels she has failed. _This reveals Dora's deep sense of responsibility and the emotional weight she carries._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_the_treasure_seekers_se/chapters/xi-castilian-amoroso - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_the_treasure_seekers_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_the_treasure_seekers_se/chapters