Travel Essays · Chapter
Last of Smethurst explained
The narrator travels by train to Keswick, meeting a burly man who is a friend of Smethurst.
What happens
The narrator travels by train to Keswick, meeting a burly man who is a friend of Smethurst. After arriving, he visits the lake at night, encounters three playful girls in the moonlight, and later returns to the hotel where he meets a London theatre manager who dominates the conversation with poems and anecdotes.
Themes in this chapter
Human Connection and Community
The narrator forms a quick friendship with his fellow traveler, shares a pleasant encounter with three girls, and bonds with the theatre manager over stories.
Nature and the Sublime
The moonlit lake, gusty wind, and wild chase of shadows evoke the sublime beauty and power of nature.
Characters to notice
Key passages
“The sky was covered with flying scud; and, as this was ragged, there was quite a wild chase of shadow and moon-glimpse over the surface of the shuddering water.”
The sky was filled with ragged clouds, causing shadows and glimpses of moonlight to chase each other across the trembling lake.
Describes the dramatic and restless atmosphere at the lake.
“They were just high enough up in the social order not to be afraid to speak to a gentleman; and just low enough to feel a little tremor, a nervous consciousness of wrongdoing—of stolen waters, that gave a considerable zest to our most innocent interview.”
The girls were of a social class that allowed them to talk to a gentleman without fear, yet they felt a slight thrill of impropriety that made the innocent conversation more exciting.
Highlights the social dynamics and the playful tension in the encounter.