The Mystery of Edwin Drood · Chapters

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Chapter companions for The Mystery of Edwin Drood by Charles Dickens.

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Chapter 1
The Dawn
The chapter opens with a man waking from an opium dream in a squalid London opium den, surrounded by a Chinaman, a Lascar, and a haggard woman. He struggles to piece together his surroundings, then leaves and later appears at Cloisterham Cathedral for vespers, where he joins the choir.
Chapter 2
II: A Dean, and a Chapter Also
The chapter opens with a conversation between the Dean and Mr. Crisparkle, the Minor Canon, about John Jasper's health and his expected nephew, Edwin Drood. The Dean expresses a hope that Jasper's affections for his nephew are not too strong, advising that affections should be guided. Mr. Crisparkle then visits Jasper at the gatehouse, finding him recovered from a brief illness. Jasper's room is described as somber, with a portrait of a schoolgirl (Rosa Bud) hanging over the chimneypiece. Edwin Drood arrives, and the two share a warm, affectionate reunion. They dine together, discussing Rosa Bud, Edwin's fiancée, and Edwin complains about the arranged engagement, feeling constrained by the wishes of their deceased fathers. Jasper, who has been secretly taking opium, suffers a momentary fit, which he attributes to the effects of the medicine. He recovers, and the conversation turns to Jasper's quiet life, with Edwin noting that Jasper has the freedom to choose his own path, unlike Edwin himself.
Chapter 3
The Nuns' House
This chapter introduces the fictional town of Cloisterham, an ancient, sleepy cathedral city steeped in monastic history. The narrative then focuses on the Nuns' House, a seminary for young ladies run by Miss Twinkleton, where Rosa Bud resides. The chapter presents a playful yet tense meeting between Rosa and her fiancé, Edwin Drood. Their conversation is filled with affectionate teasing and veiled criticisms, revealing underlying incompatibilities and a growing strain in their engagement. Rosa playfully pretends to be Edwin's other betrothed, and their walk through the old Close ends in mutual dissatisfaction, foreshadowing the end of their relationship.
Chapter 4
Mr. Sapsea
The chapter introduces Mr. Thomas Sapsea, the self-important auctioneer of Cloisterham, who prides himself on his knowledge of the world and his grand style. He receives John Jasper for the first time at his home, where they discuss Sapsea's late wife and his plan for her epitaph. Jasper flatters Sapsea's vanity, and later Durdles arrives to discuss the monument work, but leaves abruptly after Jasper's questions about his nickname. The evening ends with Sapsea and Jasper playing backgammon.
Chapter 5
Mr. Durdles and Friend
John Jasper encounters Durdles being pelted with stones by a ragged boy named Deputy, who is paid by Durdles to pelt him home. Jasper walks Durdles home, learning about his work among the tombs and his method of finding buried bodies by tapping the ground. Durdles reveals a discovery of an old 'un under the seventh pillar in the crypt. Jasper expresses a romantic interest in Durdles's life and asks to accompany him. They part at the Travellers' Twopenny, and Jasper returns home, where he prepares a peculiar pipe and stands over his sleeping nephew Edwin before retiring to his own room to smoke.

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The Dawn

II: A Dean, and a Chapter Also

The Nuns' House

Mr. Sapsea

Mr. Durdles and Friend