The Winged Watchman

The Verhagens accept Hildebrand into their lives. One day, Hildebrand explains to Joris the difference between knowledge—knowing the facts—and wisdom—understanding and applying principles. Joris longs to study philosophy, but Hildebrand tells him to read and think. Meanwhile, Uncle Cor disguises himself whenever he goes on errands, and he talks frequently with Dirk Jan, making Joris envious. One evening, Cor expresses frustration over the fact that Hildebrand does nothing but study. The young man explains the virtues of studying “‘old stuff’” (141), saying that this practice provides vital perspective on the present. He argues that if people only act on their emotions, they are doomed to repeat history’s mistakes. A conversation ensues about the difficulty of loving one’s enemies and the idea that retribution often perpetuates violence.

Later, Joris awakens to discover that Dirk Jan is gone. Joris goes outside, and when he hears a wagon, he follows it to Mr. Poot’s fields. As Joris hides, lights flicker throughout the meadow. Suddenly, an airplane flies low and drops bundles. The lights go out, and the plane soars away. The men on the ground scurry to load the parcels onto the wagon. As the vehicle leaves, Joris recognizes the voices of Cor and Dirk Jan and realizes that he has just witnessed a weapons drop. He follows the wagon toward the Giant and runs into Hendrik.

Earlier that night, with Leendert away, Hendrik had been reading by candlelight when he heard the plane and saw the parachutes. In his excitement, he ran into Joris. Now, he questions Joris, who pretends to know very little, as he does not trust Hendrik to keep a secret. While the boys walk home, Hendrik expresses his hatred for his brother and his sadness over losing his dog, Nero. Before the two part, Joris offers to give his friend one of Freya’s future puppies.

Although he is happy to have diverted Hendrik’s attention, Joris is suddenly seized by the collar. Uncle Cor has found him and is furious that Joris is there. The next morning, the boy wakes with a fever and confesses everything to his mother. Cor eventually make peace with Joris, who tells his uncle what happened with Hendrik. Joris begs his uncle not to get caught by the Germans, but Cor claims that everything is in God’s hands and then departs. 

Soon, the weather turns frigid. The family sleds and skates, and sometimes friends visit. Despite this merriment, the days grow dark and ominous as more people are displaced and deaths increase. Desperate for fuel, people burn anything they can to stay warm. In the evenings, however, the Verhagens talk, sing, and share stories.

During this time, the poldermasters visit Father to decline his request for state-of-the-art wings for the Watchman. Father worries that the new electric mills will replace the Watchman and leave him jobless. 

Joris prays to St. Victor, the patron saint of mills, and then asks to hear the saint’s story. The family tells the story, saying that St. Victor was once a soldier who then became a miller and operated a windmill with two wings. After the devil tried to tempt Victor, he built a mill with four wings so that it would resemble a cross. He then rid the land of heathen idols, after which the Romans cut off his head. However, they then heard angels singing about him. 

Despite the brutality of the story, Trixie snuggles up against Hildebrand and cherishes their time together.

Swedish Red Cross ships arrive with food. Meanwhile, the rain falls relentlessly, melting snow and overflowing ditches. Laboring tirelessly, Father and Hildebrand work the Watchman and pump the water out. However, in the Noorderaar polder, the electricity shortage has rendered the electric mill inoperable, and the resulting floods now endanger homes, crops, and livestock. The farmers visit Father and ask him to use his mill to remove the water from their areas. He takes the request to the polder board, which agrees. They plan to open the dike to let water flow from the Noorderaar polder toward the Watchman, and Father puts extra sails on the mill to increase its productivity. The next morning, a crowd gathers at the dike while men construct a cofferdam to block the water while they dig. The mood is festive as the sun emerges. Dirk Jan and his friends discuss Leendert’s absence and predict that the landwatchers will lose out no matter how the war ends. When the digging is complete, a plank is removed, and the water surges through.

Onlookers shriek as water gushes through the dike. They start to sing and eventually begin singing the forbidden national anthem. Suddenly, gunshots ring out and Germans approach, assuming that this is “a meeting of insurrectionists” (167). Although a polder committee member explains the situation, the corporal insists that everyone be arrested for conspiracy. However, when someone offers a bottle of cognac, he relents and merely demands that they disperse.

When the Verhagens retreat to the Watchman, they see Freya chasing Leendert and barking angrily. Shocked, Joris whistles, and the dog runs to his side, returning to her happy disposition. Inside, Hildebrand explains that Leendert was snooping around, but Freya would not let him go near the stairs; she even bit him. Although Hildebrand is amused, Father warns Joris to keep an eye on Freya.

The water rises, so Father puts more sails on the Watchman. Although the water floods the land, it does not enter the mill. By morning, the water recedes. The farmers thank Father and offer him food in exchange for continuing to mill both polders. 

When two boys beg at their door, Mother feeds them, and everyone marvels at how much they have endured. After they leave, everyone notices that Freya is missing. They search all day, but in the morning, she is still missing.

The Verhagens learn that Kees Kip was captured and killed when the Underground staged a coop to free hostages. Their sadness soon turns to despair when Reina informs them that Kip and Uncle Cor are the same person. Three nights later, Joris hears Freya at the door. She is starving and is on the verge of giving birth. Her puppies are born in the morning. When Hendrik visits, he reveals that he rescued Freya after the de Wit boys, under Leendert’s orders, trapped her in the Giant. Joris is grateful, and Hendrik is excited to get a puppy.

Meanwhile, the spring season coincides with the Allies’ gains in the war, especially in Holland. However, the Germans pierce dikes to ruin crops while landwatchers capture underdivers, and the Dutch face starvation until Allied bombers drop food. One parcel lands directly on the Watchman and contains a note of thanks from Charles King. Everyone is now optimistic that the war will soon end.

On May 5, Canadian troops officially liberate the Dutch, and there is dancing in the streets. The Watchman is set to a message of joy, and flags hang from the wings. Hildebrand and other underdivers walk freely in public. The Dutch queen returns from exile and listens to the Underground leaders, who advise that all traitors be punished. Leendert is deported to await trial, and the Poots come home from the camps. Hildebrand returns to Utrecht to complete his studies, and Father learns that the Watchman will remain in operation and that the Giant will be restored.

One day, Koba and Betsy’s parents arrive. They accept a puppy before going home with the girls. Not long afterward, Mrs. Groen returns; she is the only one in her family to have escaped the camps. When she sees Trixie and calls her Rachel, the girl hides, and Mrs. Groen is heartbroken. Composing herself, Mrs. Verhagen explains to Trixie that Mrs. Groen is her real mother and that although the Verhagens love her deeply, the girl should go with Mrs. Groen. Mrs. Groen is overwhelmed with the family’s kindness and shares all that she has learned about the importance of hope and faith.

When the Verhagens are finally left to themselves, the boys comment that they miss having people hiding in their house. Mother rebukes them. Then, Father declares that mothers have suffered the most and that they should cheer for her. This gesture brightens Mother’s spirits, and she encourages them to continue caring for their neighbors.