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Chapter XV–Chapter XIX

Summary: Chapter XV

The scream comes from Madam because Ruth is having a seizure. Madam tries to beat Ruth with a broom, but Isabel protects Ruth. Lockton enters and stops the violence. He asks about Ruth’s “falling sickness.” Madam wants to sell Ruth immediately, believing she is evil and cursed. Ruth is already awake and picking up the peas she has spilled. Lockton declares that Ruth may stay and work in the kitchen with Becky, but after he leaves, Madam says it’s just a matter of time before he sees her reasoning.

Summary: Chapter XVI

Isabel realizes that their ticket out is the list of signatures tucked in Lockton’s library drawer, and so she steals it one night at midnight. She decides to take the list “straight to the army” rather than to Bellingham, who may not trust her after the linen chest incident. Isabel goes to the Battery, the headquarters of the Patriot army in New York. After being dismissed by a sergeant, Isabel meets Colonel Regan, who listens to her information. Regan agrees to do whatever he can to help Isabel in exchange for the list. When he brings four others in to hear the plot, Regan comments that they have heard of such a list from other sources, too. Regan tells Isabel to return the list to the drawer to avoid suspicion, and she agrees. He gives her the code to get back into camp: ad astra, which means “to the stars.”

Summary: Chapter XVII

Madam stays upstairs most of the time, and Becky and Isabel whisk Ruth to the basement whenever Madam appears. Lockton is often away visiting the mayor. Tension about the revolution builds in the city’s summer heat. One morning, one of the conspirators appears at the Locktons’ door and confronts Lockton with the news that their plot to kill General Washington has been uncovered. While Isabel is tending the stove, the Locktons quarrel about whether Madam should stay in New York while Lockton flees. Madam refuses to remain in the city alone, and Lockton strikes her across the face. Soon, Lockton is boarded into a crate that is labeled “Cheese,” and Madam spends the evening burning papers. The next morning, Becky reports that many conspirators on the list were arrested, but Lockton has escaped. A bruised Madam fears for her life.

Summary: Chapter XVIII

At Becky’s insistence, Isabel and Ruth attend the hanging of Thomas Hinkley, the man accused of wanting to assassinate General Washington. Becky stays home with Madam, who has been drinking a lot of wine. Thousands attend the event. Isabel plays a string game with Ruth while they wait. They meet Curzon, who takes off his hat to hold Ruth on his shoulders. Inside his hat is written James. Amid drumbeats, military pomp, and General Washington himself, the traitor Hinkley is marched to the gallows. Ruth feels overcome with dread as the scene unfolds and crawls down to hold Isabel. The charges are read, and Hinkley is hung.

Summary: Chapter XIX

Isabel attends a service at the Anglican church with Madam where the minister prays for King George and the royal family. Lady Seymour has encouraged Madam to get out of the house. At the end of the service, a boy bursts in to announce that the British are in the harbor. A crowd runs into the streets as muskets and cannons are fired and chaos ensues. Ruth suffers a small seizure and cannot walk, so Isabel carries her when Madam insists they keep moving. Lady Seymour is kind and understanding. Back at home, Isabel and Ruth do washing, but Ruth wants to wash dirty rocks. When Madam sees Ruth adding rocks to the tub with the tablecloths, Isabel knows that they must escape soon.

Analysis: Chapter XV–Chapter XIX

These chapters are dominated by three dramatic events: Ruth’s seizure in front of Madam, Lockton’s departure, and the public hanging of the Tory Thomas Hinkley. Each event propels the plot forward but also holds significant meanings, both literal and symbolic.

Previously, Madam had been content to use Ruth for her entertainment and pleasure, but witnessing Ruth’s seizure changes Madam’s mind about her “pet.” As was common ignorance, Madam believes that Ruth is possessed by the devil and that the possession could infect the entire household. Although Isabel insists that the seizures are only an ailment and nothing more, Madam is as superstitious as she is racist, and once Lockton is gone, she will do everything she can to rid the household of the demon-child Ruth. This reality sets up Ruth being sent away, another turn that deepens Isabel’s resolve to fight against Madam’s authority.

When one of Lockton’s coconspirators warns him that their plot to kill General Washington has been discovered, Lockton has no choice but to flee. To protect his household from rebel looting and occupation, Lockton insists that Madam remain in New York, a decision she hates but has no power to resist. The fight that ensues bruises her literally and figuratively and further deepens her resentment of everyone around her. Freed from Lockton’s wishes to promote peace among the servant and slaves, Madam will have full authority to rule the household as she pleases and to act as cruelly and violently as she chooses without restraint. This does not bode well for the servants, especially for Isabel.

Although the public hanging of the man accused of wanting to assassinate General Washington is the first of many extremely violent scenes in the novel, it pales in comparison to those that follow. Although Hinkley is a Tory, it introduces and foreshadows the atrocities of war that will occur in the weeks and months to come. Despite being with the friendly Curzon and playing string games with Ruth, Isabel is sickened by the sight of a man being hung. Ruth is completely overcome by the intensity of the event and crawls down from her perch on Curzon’s shoulders to hug Isabel tightly and avoid looking at the scene. General Washington himself is present, which, along with the drumming, the horses, and the swords, gives the somber military ceremony weight and importance. Cruelty abounds not only in households but also in the entire culture on both sides of the war.

This section ends with the announcement that the British are in New York Harbor. Although independence has not yet been officially declared, the British navy’s presence signals the imminence of the brutal and bloody war to come. Isabel has shared the list of conspirators with Colonel Regan in Chapter XVI and has been given the code to the rebel headquarters, solidifying her role as a spy and a patriot soldier of sorts. The code, ad astra, harkens to earlier references to the stars as sources of truth and guidance.

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