Summary
Chapter 43: Bert and the Guard
Bert waits for an hour for his mom to come back from the palace. When there is only a minute left, Bert sees movement and thinks it may be his mom, but in fact it is Major Roach and four soldiers approaching the front door of the house. Bert jumps up, grabs a sweater his mom had been darning, his shoes, and his father's medal for bravery, and jumps out a window into the vegetable patch. From his hiding spot, Bert hears Major Roach banging on the front door. Bert sees a soldier inspect the vegetable patch with a torch, but the soldier does not spot the boy. Bert hears Major Roach and the soldiers break the door and smash up things inside the house. Major Roach tells the soldiers angrily to find Bert and kill him.
Bert has heard enough. He crawls on his stomach through yards until he reaches a cobbled street. He hears the soldiers begin banging on the doors of other houses, asking people if they have seen him and calling him a traitor. Bert grabs some dirt and smears it over his face to conceal his identity and better blend into the darkness. He scurries toward the gate at the edge of the city, hiding in the shadows when possible. When he reaches the gate, he sees there is a guard keeping watch. He stops and hides when he sees Major Roach approaching the guard. Major Roach demands to know whether Bert has gone out through the gates and tells the guard that he will shoot anyone who helps Bert. When Major Roach leaves, Bert approaches the gate quietly. When he reaches the guard, he begs the man to let him through, saying he will pay him with his father's medal. The guard lets Bert leave and tells him to keep his medal. The guard also warns Bert to only travel by back roads.
Chapter 44: Mrs. Beamish Fights Back
While Bert is leaving Chouxville, Mrs. Beamish is being taken to the palace dungeon by Lord Spittleworth. When she arrives in the dungeon, she hears Mr. Dovetail singing the Cornucopia anthem. Mr. Dovetail calls out to Lord Spittleworth, asking if he will be able to see his daughter when he finishes making wooden feet, and Lord Spittleworth says yes, rolling his eyes. When Lord Spittleworth turns back to talk to Mrs. Beamish, she starts talking first. She tells Lord Spittleworth that she would like to continue to make pastries for the king while she is in the dungeon, since she is his favorite pastry chef. She threatens that if they kill her, the king will surely notice the reduction in quality of pastries. When Lord Spittleworth says that they will fake an Ickabog attack, Mrs. Beamish lies and says that she gave Bert instructions for what to do if word gets out that she is killed by the Ickabog.
Lord Spittleworth agrees to keep Mrs. Beamish alive and allow her to continue making the king's pastries. With that settled, Mrs. Beamish demands baking equipment. She also demands access to the other prisoners in the dungeon so that they can help her bake and for the prisoners to be fed better. Finally, she demands a more comfortable bed. Lord Spittleworth seems to agree to these demands and leaves the dungeon. As soon as he leaves, Mrs. Beamish drops her brave act and begins shaking. Hearing Mr. Dovetail singing the national anthem again, she calls out his name to him, but he does not respond.
Chapter 45: Bert in Jeroboam
Bert walks for many days on back roads connecting Chouxville to Jeroboam. He is forced to sleep in ditches and steal food from trash cans. Throughout his difficult journey, Bert keeps his thoughts on his mother, hoping Lord Spittleworth hasn't killed her. Bert's plan is to find Cousin Harold's tavern in Jeroboam; he believes that once he finds Cousin Harold, everything will be okay. However, when Bert reaches Jeroboam, he finds the tavern boarded up and abandoned. He asks someone if they know where Harold went, and the person tells him that Harold went to Chouxville to find his family and get a job in the palace. Bert has no idea what to do next. He sits down on the doorstep of the tavern and waits for a soldier to find him. Just then, he feels a sword poking his back and the words "Got you."
Chapter 46: The Tale of Roderick Roach
It turns out that the person holding a sword to Bert's back is Roderick Roach, son of Major Roach. Since Bert and Roderick were friends in school, Bert is relieved. Bert tells Roderick that he knows he is not going to stab him, and he seems to even take pity on Roderick, seeing that he is wearing only pajamas and bloody rags on his feet. Bert and Roderick walk to an alley together and Roderick tells Bert what happened after he left. Lord Spittleworth killed Major Roach for letting Bert escape. Roderick found out from Cankerby that Bert had a family member in Jeroboam, so he followed him to Jeroboam. Roderick thought that if he caught Bert, he could possibly get back his mother and siblings, who were taken by Lord Spittleworth. Bert has just told Roderick that they will find him some more suitable clothes when someone tells both of them to come with him. It turns out to be Basher John, one of the mean older children from Ma Grunter's house. Basher John has a gun, so Bert is forced to hand over Roderick's sword. Bert is relieved because he believes that Basher John does not seem to be looking to turn him in to Lord Spittleworth in exchange for gold, but Roderick is frightened because he believes they are being taken by one of Lord Spittleworth's spies.
Chapter 47: Down in the Dungeons
Mrs. Beamish demands have changed the palace dungeons greatly: the rats are gone, ovens and baking equipment have been installed, and the prisoners are well fed and cheerful. Mrs. Beamish and the other prisoners, besides Mr. Dovetail, spend their days baking pastries for the king. Mr. Dovetail continues to sing the national anthem nearly nonstop, but Mrs. Beamish encourages other prisoners to join in the singing, which makes it more pleasant. Mrs. Beamish focuses on baking and improving the lives of the other prisoners to keep herself from thinking about whether Bert is alive.
Though Mr. Dovetail still seems to have gone crazy, Mrs. Beamish believes that his "broken mind might yet be mended." She occasionally encourages the prisoners to sing songs besides the national anthem, and she is encouraged when she hears Mr. Dovetail join in from his cell in another part of the dungeon. She speaks to him through the crack in the wall, reminding him about their shared past and their children. She is grateful to hear Mr. Dovetail start to cry because she feels that it is a sign that he is healing. For many nights, Mrs. Beamish talks to Mr. Dovetail through the crack in the wall, and he begins to act more like himself. As fall turns to winter, the dungeons get colder, but Mrs. Beamish is determined to help the other prisoners survive.
Chapter 48: Bert and Daisy Find Each Other
As it turns to winter in Cornucopia, many children at Ma Grunter's orphanage outside of Jeroboam die of undernourishment and illness. Daisy and her best friend Martha try to keep the younger children healthy and happy by giving them extra food when possible. Bert and Roderick arrive at Ma Grunter's house, but Daisy does not recognize them since they are so dirty and both go by the name John. One day, Daisy steals two Chouxville pastries that were being shipped to Ma Grunter, since she is now very rich, and throws a birthday party for Hetty's twin children. Daisy tells the children about Chouxville and the other areas of Cornucopia as they eat the delicious pastries. When they have just finished eating, Basher John barges into the room and sees that Daisy stole food from Ma Grunter. When he raises a cane to hit Daisy, Bert rushes into the room and grabs the cane. Bert and Roderick fight with Basher John, and Basher John loses. Daisy hears Bert's Chouxville accent, but they still do not recognize each other.
That evening, Daisy thanks Bert for saving her from Basher John. Bert asks for Daisy's real name, and when she tells him, he recognizes her. He tells her who he is, and they are amazed and full of glee to see one another again. They hug and cry, thinking of happier times when they both lived in Cornucopia with their families intact.
Chapter 49: Escape from Ma Grunter's
Bert, Daisy, Roderick, and Martha start to meet in secret at Ma Grunter's house to share the information they have about Lord Spittleworth's wicked plans for Cornucopia. They share most of the information they have regarding the Dark Footers, the mail from the North being blocked from entering Chouxville, and their individual stories of being kidnapped or hunted. However, there is information they don't share with one another: Roderick doesn't tell Bert that he thinks his father was shot, and Bert doesn't tell Daisy about her father making the Ickabog feet used by the Dark Footers. Throughout the information sharing and escape, Martha brings up her belief that the Ickabog is real, but the others laugh this off as a silly Marshlander superstition.
Marta and Daisy know that Ma Grunter kicks children out of her home once they get to a certain age, and the four friends know that the time is likely coming soon for them. On top of this, the girls overhear that an orphanage inspector is coming soon, and Bert and Roderick immediately realize that that could mean being recognized. The four decide that they will all escape from Ma Grunter's orphanage that night. They know that Basher John is the only one with keys to the locks on the doors, so they know they will have to steal the keys from him somehow. Then, they plan to walk to the Marshlands where the Ickabog Defense Force is stationed and try to convince some of the soldiers to turn against Lord Spittleworth. That night, Bert and Roderick fight Basher John and steal the keys from Basher John. Daisy and Martha collect blankets to keep them warm on the journey since the winter weather is already brutally cold, and the four set off.
Analysis
Through the character of the guard at the gate of the City-Within-The-City, Rowling shows that Lord Spittleworth's power may be more limited than he thinks. It is hard to tell how the people of Cornucopia, especially Chouxville, really feel about King Fred and Lord Spittleworth because they are afraid of being accused of treason. However, the guard at the gate shakes his head after Major Roach tells him to not let Bert through, showing that he dislikes or disagrees with Major Roach's order. Next, he lets Bert through, in doing so opening himself to punishment for aiding a supposed traitor. Finally, he gives Bert advice to stick to back roads and trust no one, showing he cares about Bert's safety. This character shows that at least some people are unhappy with Lord Spittleworth's rule over Cornucopia and are willing to disobey Lord Spittleworth and his cronies.
As discussed previously, Mrs. Beamish is characterized as a (perhaps surprisingly) brave and resourceful person. One way Rowling shows this is through Mrs. Beamish using baking metaphors to keep her head in difficult situations. First, when Lord Spittleworth is threatening to kill Bert, Mrs. Beamish calmly tells him, "Burned crusts and soggy bases happen to the best of us. Roll up your sleeves and start something else, I say." This metaphor means that she is not afraid to give up on something and start over. Of course, it is not true that she is going to give up on her son, but this quote shows that she does have an attitude of continuing to try even when something difficult. Mrs. Beamish also uses a baking metaphor regarding Mr. Dovetail. Rowling writes, "Mrs. Beamish might not have known much about madness, but she knew how to rescue things that seemed spoiled, like curdled sauces and falling soufflés." This quote, in contrast to the last regarding giving up and starting over, means that sometimes things that seem doomed to failure can be fixed. Both of these quotes show that Mrs. Beamish is someone who will always work hard for what she cares about.
There is a parallel in this section of The Ickabog between Mrs. Beamish and Mr. Dovetail and Bert and Daisy, which allows the reader to compare the situations. These sets of parents and children, who were once best friends, both reconnect after over 5 years apart. Both pairs of characters recognize one another by voice alone; in the case of the adults this is because they are in separate cells in the dungeon, whereas for the children they do not recognize one another since they have grown up so much. Interestingly, in both situations, the Beamishes protect the Dovetails. Bert protects Daisy from being hit by Basher John, and Mrs. Beamish protects Mr. Dovetail and the other prisoners from Lord Spittleworth as much as possible.
Though Bert and Daisy parallel their parents in some ways, they are also shown to be quite different, and in some ways more skillful than their adult counterparts. Mrs. Beamish and Bert both have to hide in this section of the book, Mrs. Beamish behind a curtain and Bert in a vegetable patch. Mrs. Beamish is found, whereas Bert is able to stay hidden in the vegetable patch and crawl away to safety. In the case of the Dovetails, Mr. Dovetail goes crazy due to losing his family and being subjected to cruelty in the dungeons, whereas Daisy maintains a strong sense of self even while facing Ma Grunter and Basher John's insults, violence, and statements that her father is dead. This shows that while children can be like their parents in many ways, they may actually exceed them in problem-solving and emotional fortitude.
Rowling creates dramatic irony by telling the reader information that the characters aren't sharing with one another. She writes that Roderick doesn't want to tell Bert about his father being shot because Bert will be angry with him, and Bert doesn't tell Daisy about her father making the wooden foot because this could lead her to lose hope that her father is alive. This dramatic irony increases the suspense in the story because the reader wonders whether the characters will find out that their friends knew this information and lose trust in one another. The reasons that characters hold back information from one another also serves to show their values as people; Roderick seems to not tell Bert about his father because of not wanting to be blamed, while Bert doesn't tell Daisy information about her father out of concern for her feelings.
