Meg Hawkes—Dickon Hawkes

Meg Hawkes’s relationship with her father, Dickon Hawkes, is one of intimidation and resistance. Though afraid of what he may do if he discovers her actions, Meg secretly warns Maud about Dickon’s meetings with Dudley and risks herself to help her; when Dickon catches her carrying out that errand, he injures and confines her, but she escapes and presses on toward Elverston.

Fear and Secret Knowledge

Meg approaches Maud with an urgent request to speak privately. She insists that Maud must keep her account secret, explaining that if her father or another man caught her there, she feared they would nearly kill her. Her caution makes clear that she cannot safely speak openly in her own household.

Meg then reveals what she has discovered: Dickon and Dudley have been talking and smoking together in the mill, meeting secretly. Dickon does not know she has found this out. Although Meg is kept from going into town, Tom Brice has supplied information identifying Dudley; Meg believes that the meetings concern Maud and that their purpose is harmful. She places herself at risk by sharing this warning, even as she asks Maud whether she is frightened.

Violence and Confinement

The danger Meg anticipates becomes immediate when Dickon discovers her attempt to help Maud. Meg has been overtaken during her errand of mercy, struck by her father, and locked in the cottage. The account establishes the unequal power between them in practical terms: Dickon can use force and confinement to stop her from acting, while Meg must find a way to get out without his permission.

Escape and Consequences

Despite her injury and confinement, Meg contrives to escape. She is heading toward Elverston after trying unsuccessfully to find someone in Feltram who would listen; the people there had already gone to bed. Her flight shows that Dickon’s attempt to silence her has not ended her effort to help Maud. The immediate consequences are hardship and danger for Meg, while her warning gives Maud information about Dudley’s secret presence and the threat she may face.

Significance of the Relationship

The relationship is presented through a stark contrast between parental authority and Meg’s independent moral choice. Her fear is not abstract: she anticipates being caught, is in fact caught, and suffers both injury and confinement. Yet she continues to act on Maud’s behalf. The evidence does not resolve the wider purpose of Dickon and Dudley’s meetings, but it establishes Meg as a threatened witness who resists her father’s control by sharing what she knows and attempting to reach help.