- Tom, the Water Baby,
- Starts to go where he does not like, to find Mr. Grimes;
- Inquires of the King of the Herrings;
- Visits the last of the Gairfowl on the Allalonestone;
- Follows Mother Carey’s chickens;
- Struggles with the water dog;
- Is carried by the mollymocks from Jan Mayen’s land to Shiny Wall;
- Dives under the great white gate that never was opened yet;
- Reaches Peace-pool with the dog;
- Finds Mother Carey at work making new creatures from sea water;
- Is given passport to the Other-End-of-No-where;
- Goes backward in safety.
Chapter VIII.
- Tom, the Water Baby,
- Comes to the place called Stop;
- Is blown through the Sea;
- Finds himself in the claws of the bogy;
- Sees the metals made;
- Slides down the whirlpool;
- Swims to the shore of the Other-End-of-No-where;
- Finds Gotham;
- Comes to the isle of Tomtoddies;
- Hears of their great idol, Examination;
- Gives information to the nimblecomequick turnip;
- Stumbles over the respectable old stick;
- Faces Examiner-of-all-Examiners;
- Arrives at Oldwivesfabledom;
- Comes to the quiet place called Leaveheavenalone;
- Sees the prison;
- Offers the passport to the truncheon;
- Searches for chimney No. 345;
- Finds Grimes stuck in the chimney;
- Tries to light Grimes’ pipe and to release him;
- Learns that the old dame teacher was the mother of Grimes;
- Sees Grimes’ tears effect his release;
- Recognizes Mrs. Bedonebyasyoudid as the Irishwoman;
- Hears Grimes sentenced to sweep out Aetna;
- Is blindfolded and taken up the back stairs;
- Recognizes St. Brandon’s Isle and hears the song;
- Rejoices with Ellie and goes with her Sundays;
- Becomes a man of science and knows everything;
- And, it may be, marries Ellie.
II. Fact and Fancy. The story begins with a vivid description of the little sweep and his master, and it is not till we have read several pages that we have reason to suspect that we are reading a fairy story. In fact the “poor Irishwoman” might be a veritable Irishwoman till we have read page 247. From this point on, the work of the fairies is seen occasionally to the end.
The facts of the natural history are mingled with the fancies of the author’s brain in the most natural manner. The description of the house-building of the caddis larvae (page 262) is accurate enough for a scientist, who might, however, be shocked by the whimsical notion of the rivalry told in the last sentence of the paragraph. The otters behave like otters, the salmon like salmon, the lobster like the lobster he is. The dragon “splits” at the call of nature, the ephemerae dance in the sunlight, and game-keepers kill poachers in real life as in the story. The great auk is extinct and the right whale is still hunted, but Peace-pool is as fancifully portrayed as is the creation of world-pap. It appears that as Kingsley proceeded with his story he let his imagination play more freely and drew farther away from facts as his fancies came plentifully. So the story furnishes food for thought by old and young, and parts of it can be understood only by those who have had considerable study and experience.
III. Fun and Humor. A more entertaining story is hard to find. There are many amusing situations and funny doings, besides which, Kingsley’s style of writing abounds in a rich humor that is not always evident to the hasty and careless reader. Not a little of the humor is ironical and sometimes we are inclined to think that the writer may be having a little quiet fun at the expense of his readers.
Children are inclined to read Tom, the Water Baby as they do many another tale, for the story only. They want to know what happens to Tom, whether or no Grimes is punished, what becomes of Ellie, and how it “all comes out.” But when attention is called to the fun in the tale children will read it more than once, for they like to laugh even better than their elders, and curiosity prompts them to watch to “see the joke.”
The humorous twist to things begins in the second sentence of the story and it does not disappear permanently till the very last sentence of the Moral. See how it shows in these few extracts: “His master was so delighted at his new customer that he knocked Tom down out of hand” (page 219).
After Tom’s pathetic discovery of his own dirtiness (page 232), comes this: “With a noise as of ten thousand tin kettles tied to ten thousand mad dogs’ tails.” Humor and pathos are both strengthened by the violent contrast.
On page 232 begins the long humorous paragraph descriptive of the chase after Tom.