Just William · Chapters
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Chapter companions for Just William by Richmal Crompton.
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Chapter 1
William Goes to the Pictures
William receives a shilling from his aunt and decides to spend it on sweets and a trip to the Picture Palace. He watches a series of films, including a crime drama, love stories, a comedy, and a tragic tale of a drunkard. The films deeply affect him, leading him to imagine his own father as a drunkard and to adopt a mournful demeanor. Later, he delivers a fabricated message and a crushed rosebud from his sister Ethel to Mr. Morgan, claiming Ethel is obsessed with him. Mr. Morgan is horrified. William returns home, inspired by a paint-removal scene in a comedy, and experiments with his penknife on a door. The chapter ends with Mr. Brown's angry reaction to Mr. Morgan's untimely visit and Ethel's confusion.
Chapter 2
William the Intruder
Robert's romantic picnic with Miss Cannon is disastrously interrupted when William, having secretly learned to ride Robert's new bicycle while blacked up as a 'Red Hand' Indian, crashes through their picnic and into the river. Despite Robert's ruined bicycle and ruined romantic plans, Miss Cannon dotes on William, calling him 'my poor darling Red Hand.' Later, at tea, William persistently intrudes on Robert's attempts to court Miss Cannon, showing off his garden and storytelling, leaving Robert a 'pale statue of despair.'
Chapter 3
III: William Below Stairs
William Brown, feeling embittered after a series of punishments and confiscations, decides to run away to seek his fortune in the goldfields. After a tiring journey, he is mistaken for the new Boots at a grand house and decides to play along. He endures the kitchen staff's suspicion and mockery while secretly dreaming of future riches and revenge.
Chapter 4
IV: The Fall of the Idol
William develops a crush on his teacher Miss Drew, leading him to steal hothouse flowers from his own garden to impress her, then later break into a stranger's house to steal syringa. His infatuation causes him to feign academic interest, but his efforts are clumsy and ultimately lead to embarrassment and a police scare.
Chapter 5
The Show
The Outlaws, bored with their usual activities, decide to put on a show to raise money for bows and arrows. They assemble a motley collection of exhibits including a painted rat, a furious cat, a makeshift giant, a stuffed fox fur, and a blue dog. Despite skeptical audience members, William's showmanship carries the day.
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