Doctor Syn · Chapters

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Chapter companions for Doctor Syn by Russell Thorndike.

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Chapter 1
Dymchurch-Under-the-Wall
The chapter introduces the coastal village of Dymchurch-under-the-Wall in Kent during the reign of George III, before the Battle of Trafalgar. It describes the village's prosperity under Squire Sir Antony Cobtree, a reformed adventurer, and the beloved vicar Doctor Syn, who is known for his long sermons and love of tobacco and hot drinks. The church services are lively, with the choir bellowing hymns like sea shanties, led by schoolmaster Mr. Rash on fiddle and sexton Mipps. After services, Doctor Syn and Sir Antony enjoy supper at the courthouse, while Mipps holds court at the Ship Inn, spinning tales of horror and adventure to the delight of landlady Mrs. Waggetts and the villagers.
Chapter 2
The Coming of the King's Frigate
Doctor Syn is introduced as a sea-loving parson who walks the seawall, sings a gruesome sea chanty, and frequents the Ship Inn with the squire. Mrs. Waggetts pursues the sexton Mipps, who rebuffs her. Mipps and Syn spot a King's frigate approaching Dymchurch, and a preventer man suggests it is for a revenue search against smugglers, causing Mipps to hurry off to lock up the church.
Chapter 3
III: The Coming of the King's Men
Mipps arrives at the inn and urgently dispatches Mrs. Waggetts to fetch the schoolmaster, Mr. Rash. Meanwhile, Denis Cobtree and Imogene share a flirtatious conversation in the bar, interrupted by the arrival of Mr. Rash and young Jerry Jerk. The chapter culminates with the sudden, boisterous entrance of King's sailors into the inn, marking the arrival of the King's men in Dymchurch.
Chapter 4
The Captain
Captain Howard Collyer, a King's agent, arrives at the inn and clashes with Denis Cobtree and the sexton Mipps. He asserts his authority to suppress smuggling, while Denis defends the independence of Romney Marsh and his Jacobite sympathies.
Chapter 5
A Bottle of Alsace Lorraine
Captain Collyer and his men cause a disturbance at the Ship Inn. Mipps threatens to report them to the squire. The captain requests a bottle of Alsace Lorraine wine, which the landlady does not have. He then examines the kitchen and discovers a hidden trapdoor leading to a wine cellar, where a bottle labeled 'Alsace Lorraine, White, Rare 500' is found. Mipps is caught eavesdropping again.

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Dymchurch-Under-the-Wall

The Coming of the King's Frigate

III: The Coming of the King's Men

The Captain

A Bottle of Alsace Lorraine