Summary
The plague dies down somewhat and Brother Luke brings Robin on his back to the gardens outside the monastery. There, Robin is left to do his whittling, continuing to work on his cross. Brother Matthew helps him, and Robin gets to work, enjoying it very much. He feels that he is truly getting stronger and may be able to walk again soon.
Then, suddenly, Robin drops the chisel and breaks his cross. He reacts with angry words and Brother Matthew tries to calm him, telling him that it is his own lack of patience and care that are to blame. Brother Luke returns for Robin, and Robin expresses his frustration. Luke tells him that because it is unclear when he will walk again, it is best to train him to use his hands and mind in a skillful way. Brother Luke again mentions teaching Robin to read and write.
Later, Robin dictates a letter to Brother Luke. The letter is addressed to Robin’s father, Sir John de Bureford. In the letter, Robin informs his father for the first time about his illness. He also tells his father that their previous house servants have all left their service, after coming down with the plague. He lets him know that he is now under the care of Brother Luke at the St. Mark’s hospice. He asks for a letter in return. Brother Luke uses the letter Robin has just dictated in order to teach the boy how to read.
It becomes summer and the plague has died down even more, although many people have died as a result. Robin continues carving and finishes his cross. For his next project, Brother Luke suggests he make a doll for one of the little girls who live in poverty in the city, and Robin delights at the idea. He becomes very excited when he carves the doll and sees lifelike features emerge. He also works on his reading and writing.
One day, Brother Luke suggests that Robin and he go fishing. Robin is initially surprised at the idea and wonders if he could really do it. When they go, each of them catches several trout. It is a serene scene until 6 or 7 young boys come running to the brook and jumping into the water without clothes. One of the boys is Geoffrey, the same boy on crutches from the monastery who called Robin “Crookshanks.” Seeing Geoffrey dive into the water, Robin wishes that he could do the same.
Brother Luke, noticing Robin’s wistfulness, helps him to dip into the water. Robin loves it and Luke promises to bring the boy to the brook every day for swimming. Brother Luke tells him that learning to swim and use his arms will help him get about on land with crutches. Robin is excited about the idea of using crutches and being able to play with the other boys. He remembers, however, that his father wants him to be a knight, and he is not sure how he will be able to fulfill this goal.
Robin acclimates to life in the monastery and takes on his duties of reading, writing, studying history, and helping out with church services. He also practices swimming every day. He is getting better each day, which is demonstrated through his lively and mischievous attitude. He begins to work on carving his own crutches alongside Brother Luke and Matthew. Robin also reveals to the monks that he is now able to bear his weight on his feet for a few seconds at a time—a great improvement.
One day, Robin receives a message from his father. The letter is the first one he has received from his father in months and the first one he is able to read on his own. His father expresses his sadness that his son is ill and informs him that his mother is taking care of the Queen. At present, he is helping in the war effort against the Scots. He also tells Robin that he has requested that he be sent to Shropshire.
Everyone prepares for Robin’s departure, creating for him a chair-saddle in which he can ride to Shropshire. Robin is sad to leave behind those at the monastery, but he is excited about his new journey. He sets out with Brother Luke and John-go-in-the-Wynd and they head towards London, to stay an inn called the White Swan. They come to a fork in the road and are not sure which road to take. It is becoming night and they are unable to find their way. Luke, John, and Robin decide to sleep outside for the night, making a fire to cook. Robin thinks that this is a real adventure.
Analysis
In this section of the book, the reader is taken through Robin’s process of healing and recovery at the St. Mark’s hospice. The metaphor of the “door in the wall” features prominently in these pages, as Robin navigates his illness and discovers the many creative ways of overcoming this challenge. Whereas once his disabled legs were a source of shame for him— such as when he got angry at being called “Crookshanks”— now we see Robin more and more embracing his situation and learning to be grateful.
This is particularly clear in the scene when Brother Luke takes Robin fishing at the brook. When Robin sees the other boys swimming—even Geoffrey, who walks with a crutch—he becomes inspired to do the same. Although somewhat intimidated by the idea of going in the water, Robin, with the help of Luke, works up the courage to try. It is this courage that helps Robin to find hope and joy in life again.
Brother Luke is an important figure in Robin’s life and the catalyst for Robin's process of coming back to good health. It is Luke who encourages Robin to challenge himself by whittling, swimming, learning to read, and taking on responsibilities at the monastery—things that Robin previously thought were impossible for him to accomplish. Brother Luke embodies the kindness and selflessness of a true monk, as demonstrated by his calmness and patience even when Robin reacts in anger to his broken cross.
It is the friar’s sense of service to others that influences Robin to create the whittled doll for one of the poor girls in the city. We are taught through Brother Luke that when we are going through hardship or any sort of sadness, the best thing to do is to help another who is also in need. We see that Robin receives great joy from this act of kindness: it is rewarding for him to make a toy for the girl.
This is important for Robin, as he has been previously weighed down by not only his ailment but also by his anxiety over his family and how they will react to knowing that he is presently unfit to be a knight. His parents, who are part of the nobility, have very high expectations for their son; although Robin is only 10 years old, he already feels pressure to live up to this image. When he falls ill, these expectations are crushed. After Robin is taught to read and write by Brother Luke, he can finally send a letter to his father and express to him about what has happened, and his father responds in kind with much concern.
The letter also heralds a new chapter for Robin, as his father requests that he move out of the hospice to live with his godfather, Sir Peter de Lindsay, and learn to be a page. The journey that Robin, Brother Luke, and John-go-in-the-Wynd embark on to Shropshire brings a sense of adventure and brotherhood. Because they do not find the inn, Robin gets to sleep for the first time in “Mother Nature’s arms,” something he would have never experienced otherwise as the son of two noblepeople.
