# XI: The Peacemaker explained — Wet Magic

> Chapter companion for Wet Magic by E. Nesbit.

## What happens

The children meet the Professor of Conchology, who sees through their disguise. Ulfin warns the Mer Princess to be careful. Later, the children discuss their hopes: Mavis wants to restore the Mer King, Francis dreams of ending the war forever. They decide to retrieve Cathay's memory-restoring charm from the Museum of Foreign Curiosities. Ulfin helps them, and the Princess uses magic to break the bubble case. The children retrieve their coats and escape by pressing their third buttons.

## Themes in this chapter

### War and Peace

Francis passionately argues for ending war forever, challenging the Mer Princess's belief that war is inherent to Merman nature.

### Memory and Forgetfulness

The Professor of Conchology is revealed to be the Mer King with lost memory; the children plan to restore it using Cathay's charm.

### Adventure and Bravery

The children and Ulfin bravely plot to retrieve the coats from the museum, risking capture.

## Character check-ins

### Mavis

Wants to restore the Mer King; takes lessons in Conchology as a cover.

### Francis

Dreams of ending the war forever; proposes talking to the Queen of the Under Folk.

### Bernard

Suggests using Cathay's charm to restore the Mer King's memory.

### Ulfin

Helps the children; kisses Francis's hand in honor of the peace plan; arranges the museum distraction.

### Princess Freia

The Mer Princess; retrieves Cathay's coat and uses magic to break the bubble case.

### Cathay

Her coat contains the memory charm; mentioned as not present.

### The Under Folk

The Queen of the Under Folk is mentioned as a potential peace partner.

### Professor of Conchology

Sees through the children's disguise; is actually the Mer King with lost memory.

## Key lines

> I am only an exiled Professor, teaching Conchology to youthful aliens, but I retain some remnants of the wisdom of my many years. I know that I am not what I seem, and that you are not what you seem, and that your desire to learn my special subject is not sincere and wholehearted, but is merely, or mainly, the cloak to some other design.

The Professor sees through their pretense, recognizing that their interest in conchology is a cover for a hidden agenda.

_Highlights the theme of hidden identities and the Professor's insight._

> I want to stop this war. For always. So that there'll never be any more of it.

Francis expresses his desire to end the war permanently.

_Central to the peace theme and Francis's character development._

> If my Father's memory were restored, his wisdom would find us a way out of all our difficulties.

The Princess believes that restoring the Mer King's memory will solve their problems.

_Connects the memory theme to the plot's resolution._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wet_magic_se/chapters/xi-the-peacemaker
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wet_magic_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/wet_magic_se/chapters