Playing Beatie Bow: Chapter 5 Summary & Analysis

As Gibbie and Abigail sit by the fire, Gibbie tells Abigail that he is not long for the world—his doctors have all given up on him. Dovey brings Gibbie and Abigail two bowls of broth and a box of dominoes to play with, but Gibbie forlornly says he must “turn away from the things of this world.” Abigail chides Gibbie for “lying around like an old granny,” but Dovey reverently explains that Gibbie has been near death. Gibbie proudly states that he still is, and that perhaps by his birthday, he will be able to join his mother in heaven.

Abigail is well aware of the morbidity and fascination with death typical of the Victorian era due to the “kilos” of mourning outfits, brooches, and jewelry that have passed through her mother’s shop, and finds it all exasperating. So much of this time is foreign to Abigail—she does not understand the macabre fascination with death, or the lax bathing schedule, or the way people dress.

Gibbie begins speaking aloud about the extravagant plans he has for his own funeral. Abigail warns Gibbie not to fixate on death, because if he actually died, he’d be leaving behind all his family—Gibbie, however, seems thrilled by the prospect of his family mourning his loss. Abigail is shocked that she has encountered a child even more repellent than Vincent Crown.

Gibbie does not want to play dominoes, so to pass the time, Abigail opens the window curtains and looks out on the dingy but bustling street. She is distracted, though, by a commotion in the adjacent confectionery shop. Mr. Bow storms into the parlor and pulls a rusty sword down from the mantel, screaming about approaching Russian troops. Mr. Bow runs into the street, and Abigail watches as he goes down the lane. Abigail goes into the shop, where a frightened Dovey tells Granny that she doesn’t know how Mr. Bow got his hands on the rum. Abigail realizes that Mr. Bow is timid until he drinks, but as soon as he imbibes liquor, he becomes wild.

Granny tells Dovey she is going to go after Samuel, and asks Dovey to help clean up in the shop, as Mr. Bow has made a mess there. Abigail looks out into the street and realizes that she knows exactly where in the Rocks she is, despite how different everything looks. She has traveled far in time, but not in space, and she’s happy to know that she doesn’t need Beatie’s help getting back after all—though she resolves to wait until her wounds have healed before attempting to get home, lest she worry her mother.

Dovey and Granny bring Mr. Bow inside and help him to a bench. The shop is still a mess, and Abigail offers to help get things in order. Mr. Bow sits in the corner as if in a trance while the women work. Gibbie appears in the door and asks why no one is paying attention to him, sick as he is—Dovey feels Gibbie’s head and tells him he actually feels all right, but that he should go up to bed if he’s ill. Gibbie insists on waiting for someone to carry him. Abigail is incensed that Gibbie is faking illness.

The women salvage what they can of the ruined treats throughout the shop, and Dovey shows Abigail the many different kinds of candy Mr. Bow makes. Gibbie laments that no one will carry him upstairs, and that his own father is too ill to care for him. Mr. Bow breaks down in tears, calling for his dead wife Amelia. Abigail pinches Gibbie on the back of the neck and he runs up the stairs. Granny chides her for doing so, but Abigail offers that at least her method worked.

Granny helps Abigail back into bed and applies a healing poultice to her ankle. Over the course of the next few days, the bruise fades. Abigail, realizing that the opportune moment for her escape is drawing near, begins observing the Bows and the Talliskers more carefully. She’s afraid that there will be many problems with her return to the future—her parents’ anxieties about her being missing, returning to the present in such odd clothes—but resolves to deal with those problems when she gets to them.

Abigail is amazed by the kindness not just of the family that has taken her in, but of the community in general—she knows that even her own kind mother would never have taken in a strange girl off the streets. Abigail realizes, in the light of this kindness, how unkind she herself has been to her own parents.

Though the Victorian world is dangerous, rife with disease, war, and subpar education and social security, Abigail concedes that it is in many ways “a more human world” than Abigail’s own. Against all odds, she finds herself wishing she could stay awhile and observe more, but soon pushes the thought from her head and resolves to focus on planning her journey home.