Story summary
Краткое содержание: Дыра в стене
- Чтение: 8 мин.
- 10 parts
- Аудио скоро
A boy in a crooked Wapping tavern keeps his grandfather's secrets while a pocketbook of banknotes changes hands.
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Дыра в стене — кратко о книге
Краткое содержание: 8 min на чтение
- Время чтения
- Около 4 h 20 min3 h 25 min fast, 5 h 10 min slow
- Длительность
- Слов: 61 800
- Уровень в библиотеке
- Средний longer sentences, everyday words
- Первая публикация
- 1902by Артур Моррисон
Reading time at 238 words a minute (fast 300, slow 200). Сколько времени нужно на чтение классики · Обновлено
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Дыра в стене in short
The Hole in the Wall follows a small boy who loses his mother and finds a home with his grandfather, a retired sea captain who keeps a crooked pub on the Thames. Beneath the old man's rough charm lie a trade in stolen goods and an old guilt that a former shipmate holds over him. A stabbing at the pub door puts eight hundred and ten pounds in the boy's pocket, and a shipowner, a sour housekeeper, a blind fiddler and a brutal ruffian all want it.
What Дыра в стене is about
What would you do if your grandfather's pub hid a trapdoor over the river, and he asked you to keep quiet about it? Young Stephen Kemp faces just that in The Hole in the Wall, a crime novel by Arthur Morrison. It is set in Victorian Wapping and along Ratcliff Highway, where sailors come ashore with money and thieves wait to meet them.
Morrison knew the look and the smell of the London waterfront. Stephen tells most of the tale as a grown man looking back, while a second voice follows the villains. You get a child's wonder and a crime story's menace together.
Для кого. Readers who enjoy Victorian London, dock life, secret-driven mysteries and stories seen through a child's eyes will love this book. It also suits those drawn to lively villains and warm bonds between old men and boys.
The story in 10 parts
Key idea 1 · free to read
A grieving boy finds a home with his grandfather
Stephen's tale opens at his mother's funeral. He is not yet eight, and his father is away at sea as mate of the brig Juno. His mother and his newborn brother have died together, and the boy fights the neighbors and the nurse because he cannot believe it.
His stern aunts speak of him as the child, as if he were a troublesome parcel. Aunt Martha says there are plenty of openings in the docks, and Stephen decides they want him to fall into the water.
Only his grandfather, Nathaniel Kemp, treats him as someone who matters. Nat is a retired sea captain with a missing finger and a bag of pear drops in his coat. When the aunts have gone, Stephen says he must keep house until his father comes home, and the old man is delighted. He takes the boy to the pub he keeps at Wapping, the Hole in the Wall.
When a child has lost nearly everything, one steady and loving person can become the whole world.
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The strange old pub has secrets of its own
The Hole in the Wall stands at the edge of the Thames, and Stephen has never seen a stranger building.
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A ruined shipowner wanders into Blue Gate
The story shifts to other people who will touch Stephen's life.
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A stabbing at the door leaves a pocketbook
One evening Stephen and his grandfather read the shipping news, hoping to learn whether the Juno has reached Barbados.
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Two inquests and a body hauled from the river
The next morning a shout from the river says the stolen boat has been found adrift.
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Mrs. Grimes and the cash box among the ashes
Not everyone in the Hole in the Wall is trustworthy.
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News of the Juno turns grief into purpose
Nat's mood darkens.
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The schemers gather around the old skipper
While Stephen grieves, the other chapters follow the people who want what the old man has.
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Honesty, loyalty, and the weight of an old wrong
The deepest theme is honesty.
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A child's voice, a waterfront world, and a ticking plot
Morrison tells his story in two voices.
Read all 10 key ideas now
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Characters, plot and themes
Main characters
- Stephen Kemp A young boy who loses his mother and goes to live at the Hole in the Wall, where he loves his grandfather and keeps his secrets.
- Captain Nathaniel Kemp Stephen's grandfather, a retired sea captain and landlord, strong and respected, who buys goods on the quiet and wants a better life for the boy.
- Mr. Cripps A vain, grubby painter with a bulbous nose who longs for a free dinner and promises a sign that never comes.
- Mrs. Grimes The pub's sour housekeeper, who bullies and grumbles her way through life and nurses a deep grudge against the captain.
- Henry Viney A nervous, grinning shipowner whose firm is ruined, and who wants his lost money and holds an old secret over the captain.
- Blind George A sharp-eared fiddler and street singer who sells information and wants a share of any money he can find.
- Dan Ogle A bony, violent ruffian from Blue Gate who is hiding from the law and wants the stolen banknotes.
- Musky Mag Dan Ogle's faithful partner, frightened and poor, who will do anything to protect him.
How it ends (spoiler)
Viney comes to the pub at midnight and demands the pocketbook. Captain Nat hands over the notes, then drags him toward the police to confess their shared crimes. Viney breaks free and runs, but he falls from the lock into the dock and is never found. Dan Ogle, groping in the pub, starts a fire that destroys the Hole in the Wall and kills him. Captain Nat takes over his wharf, and Stephen goes to school.
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Вопросы о книге Дыра в стене
What is The Hole in the Wall by Arthur Morrison about?
It follows a boy named Stephen who goes to live with his grandfather at a riverside pub in Victorian Wapping. A stabbing, a stolen pocketbook, and a ruined shipowner draw them into a dangerous plot.
Who is Stephen in The Hole in the Wall?
Stephen Kemp is the young boy whose childhood the book recounts. After his mother dies, he moves in with his grandfather, Captain Nat, at the Hole in the Wall. He is loyal, curious, and brave, and he tells the story as a grown man.
Is The Hole in the Wall a true story?
No. It is a novel by Arthur Morrison, set in the dockland of Wapping and Ratcliff Highway. Morrison drew on his knowledge of East End London, so the places, songs, and customs feel real, but the characters and plot are invented.
What does the title The Hole in the Wall mean?
It is the name of the riverside pub run by Captain Nat Kemp. The old building leans over the Thames on posts, and it hides a trapdoor above the water. The name also hints at secret passages for goods and people.
Is The Hole in the Wall easy to read?
Yes, in the sense that the tale is clear and lively. Stephen's chapters are warm and funny, the villains' chapters are fast and tense, and short scenes with distinct characters keep the plot easy to follow.
Как сослаться на это издание
Morrison, Arthur. The Hole in the Wall. Library of Alexandria, 2026, libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hole-in-the-wall.
Morrison, A. (2026). The hole in the wall. Library of Alexandria. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hole-in-the-wall (Original work published 1902)
Morrison, Arthur. The Hole in the Wall. Library of Alexandria, 2026. https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hole-in-the-wall.
@book{morrison2026hole,
author = {Morrison, Arthur},
title = {The Hole in the Wall},
publisher = {Library of Alexandria},
year = {2026},
url = {https://libraryofalexandria.com/products/the-hole-in-the-wall},
note = {First published 1902}
}
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