Mr. Wurmhout

Mr. Wurmhout is Matilda Wormwood’s father, whose final appearance turns a family departure into both an exposure of his criminal dealings and a measure of his indifference to his daughter. As he rushes to flee to Spain, Matilda asks to stay with Miss Honey. He grants permission chiefly because he is in a hurry to catch his flight, and the family’s departure leaves Matilda with the teacher who has offered to care for her.

Identity and Final Appearance

Mr. Wurmhout appears in the closing episode amid a rushed packing scene. When Matilda returns home, a large black Mercedes stands outside; she does not initially find it remarkable, since unfamiliar cars have often been parked at her father’s door. Inside, however, the house is in chaos. Mr. Wurmhout and Mrs. Wurmhout are stuffing clothes and other belongings into suitcases, while their son, Michiel Wurmhout, is nearly ready upstairs.

Mr. Wurmhout tells Matilda that the family is leaving within half an hour for the airport and orders her to pack quickly. When she asks where they are going, he names Spain and says its climate is better than that of the country they are leaving. His attention is fixed on departure: he does not pause to explain the sudden move or to discuss what it means for Matilda. The deadline and the hurried packing establish the scene’s urgency before its cause is disclosed.

Criminal Dealings and Flight

Miss Honey supplies the explanation that Mr. Wurmhout does not give his daughter. She says that people in the village know he does business with criminals and believes he receives stolen cars from around the country. According to her account, the cars are brought to his garage, where their number plates are changed and their paintwork altered. She suspects that someone has informed on him and that the police are pursuing him.

Miss Honey also reasons that he has transferred money to Spain over a period of years, leaving funds there for his arrival. These details are presented through her explanation, not through a confession by Mr. Wurmhout or a scene showing the police investigation. The account nevertheless reframes the sudden move: what first seemed like a family choosing a warmer climate is, in Miss Honey’s understanding, a flight from law enforcement. Mr. Wurmhout confirms only the immediate fact that the family is leaving; he offers no explanation of the garage or the money.

Matilda’s Request and His Consent

Matilda hurries to Miss Honey and tells her that her family is going away. The two run back to the house together, where the Mercedes is still at the gate and the family is loading suitcases through its open doors and boot. Matilda asks her parents to let her stay with Miss Honey, explaining that the teacher is willing to have her. The request is Matilda’s own: Miss Honey explicitly says that she would be glad to take Matilda in, provide for her, and pay the costs, but emphasizes that the idea came from the child.

Mr. Wurmhout recognizes Miss Honey as the teacher who once came to the house. He then turns back to loading the cases rather than engaging with Matilda’s plea. Miss Honey makes clear that she will accept Matilda only with the parents’ wholehearted agreement, so the decision is not treated as hers to make unilaterally. Mrs. Wurmhout tells her husband to let Matilda go, describing the arrangement as one less person for them to care for. Mr. Wurmhout agrees, saying he is in a hurry to catch the plane and that Matilda may stay if that is what she wants. His consent gives Matilda the home she has requested, but the scene presents it as a practical concession made under pressure, not as an effort to understand or comfort her.

Departure and Significance

After Mr. Wurmhout gives permission, Matilda throws herself into Miss Honey’s arms, and the teacher embraces her. The parents and Michiel climb into the car and drive away at speed. Michiel waves through the rear window; Mr. Wurmhout and Mrs. Wurmhout do not look back. Miss Honey continues holding Matilda as they watch the black car disappear around the end of the road.

The contrast makes Mr. Wurmhout’s final role especially clear. His hurried consent enables the separation, but the family’s manner of leaving gives it its emotional force: Matilda has asked to remain, and her father departs without turning back. The car’s disappearance closes both his presence in the narrative and the immediate conflict over where Matilda will live. The ending does not show whether he is caught by the police; it leaves him fleeing, while Matilda stays with a person who has expressly offered to care for her.