44 pages • 1-hour read
The Wolves of Willoughby Chase
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Chapters 4-6Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Content Warning: This section of the guide contains references to child abuse.
Chapter 4 Summary
The next morning, the girls meet Miss Slighcarp briefly. They run to Mr. Grimshaw’s room to see how he is feeling. They overhear the doctor speaking to the housekeeper, explaining that the blow to the head seems to have caused a hopefully temporary amnesia. The girls suggest that Sylvia might help trigger his memory, but when they enter his room he’s burning papers and reacts aggressively toward the girls.
The girls go to see Bonnie’s parents, who are preparing for their trip abroad. Sir Willoughby tells the doctor that Grimshaw can stay until he’s recovered from his injuries. Bonnie’s parents welcome Sylvia warmly, then leave for their sea voyage. Bonnie is sad to see her parents leave, but tries to keep her spirits up. She takes Sylvia out to ice skate. Sylvia takes to ice skating quickly.
Bonnie and Sylvia spot Miss Slighcarp walking close to the edge of the property. Concerned that Miss Slighcarp doesn’t realize the danger of the wolves, the girls hurry to try to warn her. They lose sight of her and spot another woman they don’t recognize, then hear the sound of a carriage soon after. They see Miss Slighcarp heading back toward the house and they wonder who the other woman was. They have gone so far from the house that Sylvia is too tired to skate back. They try to take a shortcut, but hear the wolves approaching as the night falls.
Bonnie leads Sylvia into the woods to meet her friend Simon. He meets them at a shrine in the woods, then leads them safely to his cave. He gives them food and warm drinks, and they rest. After they’ve recovered, Simon gives Bonnie a pistol she’d left there for protection, and the three of them return to the house. Pattern greets them at the door. Pattern was worried for their safety; she is angry that Miss Slighcarp refused to send anyone to look for them. Pattern gives them soup and puts them to bed.
Chapter 5 Summary
To cheer Bonnie up the next day, Sylvia asks her about Simon. Bonnie explains that Simon came to the property a few years prior. Bonnie’s father gave Simon permission to live in the cave on the condition that if he needed food or supplies he’d need to work for them. Simon raises geese and sells them to make his living, and does quite well.
Pattern comes in and helps the girls dress, and Sylvia is impressed at the beautiful clothes Lady Green had made for Sylvia. The girls hurry to the schoolroom, but Miss Slighcarp isn’t there yet. Bonnie gives Sylvia a tour of the amazing assortment of toys, books, and games in the playroom.
They hear Miss Slighcarp in the schoolroom and rush in. Bonnie is shocked that Miss Slighcarp is wearing Bonnie’s mother’s gown. Bonnie confronts Miss Slighcarp, demanding she take off the dress. Miss Slighcarp orders Bonnie to be quiet and threatens to put her in the closet. When Bonnie refuses to back down, Miss Slighcarp shoves her in a closet and locks the door, pocketing the key. Sylvia tries to comfort Bonnie, but Bonnie weeps for her mother. Sylvia tries to open the door, then rushes after Miss Slighcarp.
Sylvia doesn’t find Miss Slighcarp in her room. Instead, she overhears Miss Slighcarp dismissing most of the staff. Pattern taps Sylvia on the shoulder, telling her that Pattern won’t let Miss Slighcarp send Pattern away—Pattern will hide in the house and meet the girls later that afternoon. Sylvia tells Pattern that Bonnie is locked in the closet, and Pattern tells her where to find a spare key. Sylvia runs to get it and lets Bonnie out, embracing her.
When Bonnie hears about the dismissal of the servants, she wants to intervene immediately, but she’s too late. When they hear Miss Slighcarp and James the footman approaching, Sylvia locks Bonnie back in the closet. Miss Slighcarp tells James to sell the horses, pack up all the toys to sell them, and to keep Bonnie in the closet until further notice. She additionally orders that the girls will do all their own chores and eat plain food from then on.
When Miss Slighcarp leaves, James lets Bonnie out of the closet. They agree that Miss Slighcarp is a bad person who has decided to liquidate as much of the property’s wealth as possible for her own gain. Bonnie begs James to save her toys, but he says that Miss Slighcarp will check the crates, so she can save a few, but most of them will have to go. Sylvia and Bonnie choose a few things to save. They spend the rest of the afternoon in the schoolroom, until James comes with food. He tells the girls there’s a secret passage in the room somewhere, but they don’t know where.
After James leaves, the girls search for the passage. They discover that an antler above the mantle opens a passage next to the fireplace. As they explore the passage, they overhear Miss Slighcarp and Mr. Grimshaw, who are plotting and destroying Sir Willoughby’s will in the library. Miss Slighcarp reveals that she made sure the ship Sir Willoughby and Lady Green were to sail on would sink during the voyage, leaving everything in Miss Slighcarp’s control.
The girls follow the passage to its end at the dairy, where James hears them and lets them out. They prop the entrance in the dairy open, but realize there’s no way to make sure they can get back into the schoolroom. Sylvia runs back through the main house to let Bonnie out, but Miss Slighcarp comes in shortly after Sylvia arrives. Miss Slighcarp sets Sylvia to work on sewing projects and nearly discovers Bonnie, but Sylvia makes a racket with the fire poker to avoid detection.
Chapter 6 Summary
The girls meet Pattern at the appointed time. James joins them. Pattern tells them she’ll stay secreted in the house and continue caring for the girls. The four decide Bonnie should write to the doctor and get him to come to the house, so they can try to tell him about Miss Slighcarp’s misdeeds. However, when Bonnie writes the letter and sends it with James, he’s intercepted by Miss Slighcarp and Mr. Grimshaw, who switch the letter with a blank.
Miss Slighcarp rushes to take the girls to a school. She tells them Bonnie’s parents have died at sea. On their way off of the property, they encounter the doctor who received the blank letter. Miss Slighcarp convinces him it was a prank. As they drive, Bonnie weeps silently at the news of her parents’ deaths. They arrive at the school in the middle of the night, freezing from the ride.
Chapters 4-6 Analysis
The setting of Willoughby Chase undergoes a significant shift in these chapters. While the estate was originally a place of safety and material comfort, it now becomes a place of danger and uncertainty for both Bonnie and Sylvia. The changing nature of the setting is reflected in the tensions between familiar comforts and subtle threats as Sylvia adjusts to her new home. While Bonnie’s parents embrace Sylvia, the cold behavior of Miss Slighcarp suggests that the girls will be vulnerable once they are left in her care. Bonnie and Sylvia bond, explore, and play together, but the skating excursion is tainted with foreboding when they spot Miss Slighcarp meeting a woman they do not recognize, who will later be revealed as another antagonist, Mrs. Brisket. The wolves again figure prominently, suggesting approaching dangers, but are contrasted with Simon’s geese, who are friendly and harmless. These alternating forces reflect the unsettling shifts in the girls’ environment.
The pacing of the narrative also speeds up in this section, creating narrative momentum and deepening the text’s exploration of The Dual Nature of Strangers. The rapid pacing reflects the quick, decisive steps Miss Slighcarp takes to seize power over the entire property. This shift in speed, with weeks passing in a single sentence, highlights the power of Miss Slighcarp’s hold over the Chase and its occupants. Mr. Grimshaw’s abrupt change in behavior also reflects how he is far more dangerous than he first appeared: His rude treatment of the girls, his mysterious burning of documents, and his conspiring with Miss Slighcarp to seize the estate all reveal that he is an antagonist, not a friendly ally.
Miss Slighcarp’s theft of Lady Green’s dress once more invokes the clothing motif, signifying her changing status within the household. When Miss Slighcarp appears in Lady Green’s dress, she is disrespecting both Bonnie’s mother and flaunting her newfound control of the estate. In appropriating Lady Green’s clothing, she is therefore also appropriating what they symbolize: Lady Green’s position as lady of the house. Her change in attire is an act of intimidation, meant to reinforce to the girls that they are now under her power. Miss Slighcarp’s firing of the honest staff, selling off the toys, and finally burning Sir Willoughby’s will all cement her as the primary antagonist and villain of the novel.
Bonnie’s response to Miss Slighcarp’s attempted usurpation introduces the theme of The Impact of Independence. Instead of meekly accepting Miss Slighcarp’s unjust authority, Bonnie flies into a rage at Miss Slighcarp. While Bonnie regretted her display of temper during her first clash with Miss Slighcarp at the novel's beginning, she is now entirely unrepentant during this second encounter over her mother’s clothes. Bonnie’s strength of spirit aids her in resisting Miss Slighcarp’s machinations: While she is swiftly punished for her rebellion, her refusal to give up ensures that she can and will find ways to continue fighting back against Miss Slighcarp’s plotting.
Sylvia’s characterization also develops in the face of adversity, as she begins to become stronger and more independent in the face of Miss Slighcarp’s threats. Early in the novel, Sylvia is characterized as polite and kind but easily frightened and intimidated. The entire train ride reveals Sylvia’s meekness, as she is quick to turn to Mr. Grimshaw for protection and is terrified of the wolves. However, once Bonnie is put into the cupboard by Miss Slighcarp, Sylvia seeks out Miss Slighcarp to defend Bonnie, even knocking on Miss Slighcarp’s door. Sylvia knows it’s risky to question Miss Slighcarp’s judgment, but she’s willing to do it to help her friend. Sylvia’s more assertive behavior reflects her growing self-confidence and new ability to question the authority of others.
This section of the novel also introduces Simon, who is established as an important character and dependable friend. His presence furthers the theme of The Importance of Friendship. Simon’s friendship with Bonnie saves the girls and provides them with safety, warmth, and nutrition when they are in danger of being left in the woods overnight. His decisive intervention foreshadows how he will rescue them from the school later in the novel. This introduction sets the tone for Simon’s static characterization, with Simon’s trustworthiness, loyalty, and kindness serving as an important foil to the treachery and cruelty of Miss Slighcarp and Mr. Grimshaw.
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