The Old Curiosity Shop, Chapter 17 summary
Chapter 17 of 73 · 12 min to read the chapter
In Chapter 17, Nell meets an elderly widow in a churchyard, then joins her grandfather and two traveling performers on the road toward the races, where she hopes to beg. Their journey reveals Short’s kindness and Codlin’s resentment, and Codlin insists on stopping at the Jolly Sandboys rather than taking a shorter route.
What happens
- Nell explores the churchyard and reads a gravestone for an elderly widow whose husband dies young fifty-five years before.
- The widow describes how her grief becomes a cherished habit of visiting his grave and gathering daisies.
- Nell and her grandfather agree to accompany Harris and Mr Thomas Codlin toward the races.
- The performers give shows along the road, collecting money and sometimes earning passage across bridges or ferries.
- At a moonlit crossroads, they meet Mr Grinder and two young performers traveling on stilts.
- Codlin refuses to travel beyond the Jolly Sandboys, and Short leads Nell and her grandfather after him as rain threatens.
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Why does Nell decide to accompany the performers toward the races?
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