The Return of the Child

Traces the child Myra from shipboard near-tragedy through rescue and reunion.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Taffrail Terror

Taffrail Terror The Moment A little girl runs to Rowland while he is scrubbing paint, and he playfully holds her above the rail in jesting menace. Her mother appears, snatches the child, and stares at him with dilated eyes. Why It Matters The mother's look tells Rowland what he most fears: she is married and a mother. For the first time he sees the child as Myra's daughter. The incident plants the accusation of attempted murder that will follow Rowland all the way to New York. It also creates a bond between him and the child that will survive the shipwreck.

Sleepwalker on the Bridge

Sleepwalker on the Bridge The Moment A little night-gowned figure arises from her berth, sleepwalks through the deserted promenade, and climbs the bridge steps to Rowland. She stands at his feet just as he comes out of his drugged trance. Why It Matters Rowland wraps his pea-jacket around the cold little body, and she wakes screaming. In that instant the lookout cries "Ice ahead." The child, by instinct, has come to the one man who will devote himself to her survival. Her sleepwalking also interrupts Rowland's drugged ravings and returns him to reality in time to understand the catastrophe.

Rescue from the Ice

Rescue from the Ice The Moment Rowland wakes on a fragment of the bridge with the child beside him and a dead polar bear nearby. He has fought the tiger-of-the-north with a knife, been crippled for life, and dressed the child's wounds with bear fat and canvas. Why It Matters The fight with the bear becomes the proof of Rowland's courage and the source of his empty sleeve. It also gives him and the child enough food to survive until the bark Peerless appears. This is the point where the child's fate becomes inseparable from Rowland's own body. He gives her his coat, his arm, and his future.

Grandfather Finds Her

Grandfather Finds Her The Moment Rowland brings the child to Mr. Meyer's office, dressed in canvas clothing and sail-maker's stitches made by the crew of the Peerless. Mr. Selfridge approaches, asks her name, and trembles as she smiles and says "Gwampa." Why It Matters The recognition gives the old man his only consolation after losing his son. It also transfers the child into a family that can protect her fortune. The moment is warm and tender in the middle of a harsh legal war. It raises the stakes of Rowland's later choice: he can break this child or save her.

Broadway Reunion

Broadway Reunion The Moment Rowland spends his last money on a dress, shoes, and hat for the child, then is stopped by a policeman who thinks he has stolen her. The mother shrieks, snatches Myra, and Rowland is arrested. Why It Matters The reunion is chaotic and cruel: the rescuer is dragged through the streets like a criminal. The child screams for Rowland, but her mother cannot hear her. This is the final obstacle in the child's return. It becomes clear that her salvation will require not only crossing the ocean but also overcoming the blindness of polite society.

first morning at sea

night before the wreck

the morning after the wreck

two months later at Lloyds

first day back in New York