The Whalebone Theatre

March 1928

At this point in the novel, Rosalind and Willoughby are now married and have a son named Digby. As the chapter opens, Cristabel climbs atop a dead fin whale that has washed up on the beach and sinks a flagpole into it. She instructs her half-sister Florence and the six-year-old Digby to “alert the authorities” (100) while she stands guard. Florence is rarely addressed by her given name; instead, she is primarily referred to as “the Veg,” although Digby calls her Flossie.

Following Willoughby and Rosalind’s marriage, Betty has married Chilcombe’s land agent, Bill Brewer. Now, guests emerge from their rooms, hungover from the festivities of the night before. When Digby rushes in and insists that they must send a telegram, Rosalind guesses that Cristabel is behind the request. She tells Digby to remember that Cristabel is “just a cousin” and is “lucky to be living” at Chilcombe (103). On the way back to the beach, the children meet American poet Myrtle van der Werff, along with Willoughby’s friend, Perry Drake. Perry points out that Cristabel cannot claim the whale because the monarch owns all items that wash onto English shores.