← All chapters

Short Fiction · Chapter

The Boar-Pig explained

Matilda Cuvering, a mischievous thirteen-year-old, deliberately releases a large boar-pig into a paddock to trap Mrs.

What happens

Matilda Cuvering, a mischievous thirteen-year-old, deliberately releases a large boar-pig into a paddock to trap Mrs. Stossen and her daughter, who are sneaking into a garden party uninvited. She then extorts money from them for the Fresh Air Fund before luring the pig away with rotten medlars.

Read this chapter freeBook page

Free preview opens on this chapter — companions, themes, and character notes appear beside the text.

Narrative arc

Story tension across the book — this chapter sits in Falling action.

SetupEscalationAftermathClimax
  • Setup
  • Escalation
  • Breaking point
  • Aftermath
  • Closing

This excerpt is the story's dramatic climax because it presents the emotional and psychological peak of Egbert…

Full beat labels and climax notes unlock in the reader.

Follow the arc while reading

Themes in this chapter

  • Social Class and Status

    The Stossens' desperate attempt to attend the party uninvited highlights the importance of social standing and the lengths people go to maintain appearances.

  • Hypocrisy and Moral Facade

    Mrs. Stossen's indignation at Matilda's trickery contrasts with her own dishonest scheme to gatecrash the party.

  • Rebellion and Individuality

    Matilda's clever defiance of adult authority and her refusal to conform to expected behavior exemplify youthful rebellion.

Characters to notice

  • Matilda Cuvering

    Thirteen-year-old girl who orchestrates the entrapment of the Stossens and extorts money from them.

  • Mrs. Philidore Stossen

    Uninvited guest who attempts to sneak into the garden party with her daughter.

  • Miss Stossen

    Daughter of Mrs. Stossen, accompanying her mother in the failed infiltration.

Key passages

  • “I could not do violence to my conscience for anything less than ten shillings.”

    Matilda insists that her conscience demands at least ten shillings before she will help.

    Shows Matilda's manipulative use of moral language to justify her extortion.

  • “The animal wasn't savage at all, and as for the ten shillings, I don't believe the Fresh Air Fund will see a penny of it!”

    Mrs. Stossen complains that the pig was not dangerous and suspects Matilda kept the money.

    Reveals Mrs. Stossen's bitterness and her mistaken assumption about Matilda's honesty.

Continue in the readerAll chapters