ES 25 (2003-04) - pp. 41-52
THE MYSTERY OF THE
NOVEL WITH A BRITISH
AND AN AMERICAN
ENDING
JOSÉ FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ SÁNCHEZ
Uni e sidad de Alme ía
This a icle is an in es iga ion on an unusual ea u e in a wo k o ic ion. Ma ga e
D abble´s no el The Wi ch o Exmoo (1996) was published in Ame ica wi h a di e en
ending o i s B i ish coun e pa . This pape explo es he consequences his anomalous
ac may ha e o he in e p e a ion o he no el, bu i akes his si ua ion as a s a ing
poin o conside o he aspec s ela ed o he p esence o magic and he occul in he no el
i sel , an ee ie dimension ha was comple ely missed by c i ics when he no el was
published. The pape will asse ha wi h The Wi ch o Exmoo Ma ga e D abble has
ini ia ed a new and en icing pa h in he li e a y ca ee .
These a e he ac s: in sep embe 1996 English w i e Ma ga e D abble
published he hi een h no el, The Wi ch o Exmoo . When he book was launched
in he Uni ed S a es a yea la e , i con ained a inal chap e which did no appea in
he i s edi ion. The book, hen, had wo di e en endings, a B i ish and an
Ame ican one. This a icle is, in pa , a li e a y in es iga ion o his anomalous ac
in a wo k o ic ion, and i ies o answe he ques ions ha his si ua ion could aise
(Which is he “co ec ” eading? How does he gene al pe cep ion o he book
change wi h each ending?). O he ques ions ela ed o his na a i e´s leaning
owa ds he wo ld o magic will also be explo ed. In o de o deal wi h hese issues
p ope ly, he hema ical con en o he book is desc ibed i s in o de o see wha
he inal (Ame ican) chap e adds.
The Wi ch o Exmoo is a 276 page no el ( i s ha dback edi ion)1 and consis s
o eigh unnumbe ed, bu no un i led, chap e s. The book begins wi h a ga he ing
o he Palme amily: Daniel and his sis e s Rosema y and G ace, oge he wi h
hei espec i e spouses, enjoying a dinne on a summe e ening a Daniel´s
coun y house in Hampshi e. They belong o he com o able English middle
classes and he h ee o hem a e espec ed p o essionals in hei own ields: Daniel
is a ba is e , Rosema y is an a manage and G ace is a doc o . They a e playing
an a e -dinne game p omp ed by one o he in-laws, Da id D´Ange , G ace´s
1 All e e ences in he a icle a e aken om his edi ion.
JOSÉ FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ SÁNCHEZ
42
husband. The game is called “The Veil o Igno ance”, and hey ha e o imagine a
jus socie y ega dless o hei posi ion in i .
The con e sa ion, howe e , ine i ably d i s o F ieda, he mo he o he
Palme o sp ing and once an in luen ial sociologis who, in he la e six ies, has
decided o cu he links wi h he es o he wo ld. The na a ion openly
acknowledges a pa allelism be ween he beha iou o F ieda and ha o he
p o agonis o Shakespea e´s Timon o A hens. Like Timon, who cu sed he ci y and
wen o li e in a ca e, F ieda has mo ed o a de elic ho el beside he sea, a e
elling he nex o kin ha no one would be welcome. The eade is old by an
in usi e and omniscien na a o ha be o e mo ing o he uined abode F ieda
showed sings o being sligh ly ou o he mind. Like Timon, she had also in i ed
he ela i es o a las suppe , and a e playing a as eless hoax on hem she
announced he decision o e i e o Exmoo , as she was ed up wi h he s ess ul and
pollu ed u ban way o li e.
Back o he weekend a Hampshi e, he amily ha e decided ha Da id and
G ace, oge he wi h hei son Benjamin, F ieda´s pe , go o he Wes Coun y o
isi he old woman o see o hemsel es how she is, and also o y o ob ain any
in o ma ion hey can abou economic ma e s ha may a ec he es o he amily,
like F ieda´s in en ions ega ding he will. F om ime o ime he eade ge s a
glimpse o F ieda in he damp ooms o Ashcombe, he de elic cas le by he sea.
She spends he days ambling a ound he ab up Exmoo coas , accompanied only
by he dog, b ooding o e c ucial episodes o he li e and w i ing he memoi s. She
con inually summons ghos s om he pas : he sis e Hilda, who died in agic
ci cums ances, he missing husband And ew, and he as idious mo he Gladys.
When au umn comes, he D´Ange s go o isi F ieda hoping ha young
Benjamin, a b igh and imagina i e boy, will ac as p o ec ion agains his
g andmo he ´s bad empe . The isi passes wi hou ouble bu hey o ge o ask he
he ques ions hey we e supposed o ask, o he g owing suspicions o he es o he
Palme s, who a e a aid ha Da id migh ha e planned o keep o himsel he old
woman´s money. They do no us his cha isma ic, good-looking, Guyanese-bo n
ou side who is clea ly a ou ed by F ieda´s a en ion, and who discusses wi h he
opics on social jus ice. Rosema y´s husband, Na han, he o he in-law a ached o he
Palme s, al hough no so close o F ieda´s a ec ions, is p esen ed as a nice, small,
ugly bu a ac i e ad e ising execu i e who looks wi h amusemen a he ibula ions
o his complica ed amily. Na han is po ayed as being e y much a ached o his
la by he Thames, no a om whe e a gi l he admi ed d owned some ime ago.
Meanwhile ano he cha ac e en e s in o he limeligh : Will Paine, a young
colou ed man, and ex-con ic , who had been pu up by Daniel and his wi e Pa sy,
has been asked o lea e hei house in Hampshi e and, ha ing nowhe e o go,
hi chhikes owa ds Exmoo o seek asylum om he woman he has hea d so much
abou . A e lis ening coldly o Will Paine´s pe i ions, F ieda inally ag ees o ha e
him unde he oo o a limi ed pe iod o ime.
THE MYSTERY OF THE NOVEL WITH A BRITISH AND AN AMERICAN ENDING
43
The nex pe son who isi s he old house is a cou ie , sen by he amily wi h
some documen s o F ieda o sign. Howe e , he messenge inds he place
dese ed, and a sea ch begins o he old woman. The Palme child en a el o
Exmoo and hey a e old by he police ha he a ea is being combed. In he inqui y
i is e ealed ha she was las seen in he company o a young man, aking money
ou om di e en cash poin s in he Wes Coun y.
Some weeks la e , s ill wi h no news abou he disappea ed g andmo he , he
con en o F ieda´s las will is disclosed. She has le all he o une o he g andson
Benjamin, and has named he boy´s a he as one o he us ees. The news is a
sou ce o cons e na ion o he whole amily. On he one hand Daniel and
Rosema y do no wan hei nephew o ha e wha hey conside hei money and,
on he o he hand, Benjamin´s pa en s conside i is an o e whelming esponsibili y
o a young boy o become an hei o e nigh . Will Paine, in he mean ime, has sen
a ax om Jamaica claiming ha he has no hing o do wi h F ieda´s absence. He
w i es ha a e a ew days F ieda go i ed o him and old him o go, no wi hou
p essing on him a g ea amoun o money she wan ed o ge id o .
A spell seems o ha e been cas on he Palme s a e he g andmo he ´s
disappea ance, as all o hem ind hemsel es in deep ouble, pa icula ly
Benjamin, who has su e ed a p o ound ne ous b eakdown. The disco e y o
F ieda´s body, washed up on he sho e some days la e , inc eases he le el o
anxie y in he amily. Benjamin ies o d own himsel and his pa en s ake him o a
child he apis o sa e him om he da kness he has allen in o.
Nobody in he amily wan s o go back o he ho el by he sea o eco e
F ieda´s documen s and Emily Palme , Daniel and Pa sy´s daugh e , is sen o
Exmoo o collec hem. She spends he nigh a Ashcombe, eading wha F ieda
had w i en on he compu e , and he e she disco e s he agic pas o he
g andmo he , a pe sonal his o y illed wi h decei and be ayal. The ollowing
mo ning, as Emily is p epa ing o lea e he de elic ho el wi h F ieda´s hings, a
hun ing pa y b eaks in o he ga dens o Ashcombe, and Emily s ands be ween he
hun e s and he dee hey we e chasing, becoming a na ional celeb i y as a de ende
o animal igh s. By he end o he no el, he o unes o F ieda´s ela i es each
hei conclusion wi h mixed esul s. Na han has died, d owned in he i e Thames,
appa en ly due o a hea a ack a e a nigh ´s d inking. One o Daniel and Pa sy´s
child en has died oo in agic ci cums ances, Will Paine has mo ed o Aus alia o
s aigh en ou his li e, and Benjamin slowly eco e s wi h he help o he he apis ,
who has commended him he ask o ha ing a con en ional child´s li e. The spell
seems o ha e anished, and in an epyphanic ending cha ac e is ic o D abble´s
no els, Emily and Benjamin explo e he su oundings o he boy´s p oblema ic
p ope y in Ashcombe. The na a o manages o con ey he hin ha he new
gene a ions will ace he u u e b a ely.
This is he plo o The Wi ch o Exmoo as i can be ead in he i s (B i ish)
edi ion. Wha is added in he Ame ican edi ion is a new sec ion called “En oi” in
JOSÉ FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ SÁNCHEZ
44
which he one changes comple ely om he es o he book. The p o agonis s a e
now F ieda, Na han and he gi l he admi ed so much and who d owned. They a e
sailing in hea en owa ds he Isle o he Blessed. They a e com o ably ins alled on
he deck o a ship, enjoying he pleasan oyage and elling each o he he s o ies o
hei dea hs. F ieda con i ms wha was suspec ed bu no de ini ely es ablished in
he na a i e. She ells Na han and Belle, he gi l, ha as she was s olling along he
pa h by he sea, she couldn´ esis he sigh o some edible ungi on a dange ous
s e ch o land below he and she ell o he sea. She is as onished o lea n om
Na han ha Benjamin su e ed om a se e e dep ession; he i s idea was o lea e
he o une o he boy´s a he , Da id. Thei a ou i e opic o discussion had
always been social jus ice and she had wan ed o gi e him he oppo uni y o
pu ing his ideas in o p ac ice (by se ing up an iguali a ian commune in Guyana),
bu she had ealized ha he would ne e do i , and so she le he money o
Benjamin ins ead. The h ee o hem con inue hei oyage while F ieda and Na han
ell Belle how he whole s o y began.
The eason why he inal chap e appea s in he Ame ican edi ion and no in
he B i ish one has been explained by he au ho he sel in a pe sonal le e (da e 2
Augus 2000)2. In he i s d a he “En oi” chap e was he e, bu he au ho was
ad ised o ake i ou by people close o he . They hough he ending made he
no el oo un eal and i was no necessa y, as i was e iden ha he book wo ked on
wo le els, a ealis ic and a heo e ical one. Ma ga e D abble ag eed o ake i ou ,
bu as e iewe s in e p e ed he ex oo li e ally and missed he symbolic elemen s,
she pu he o iginal ending back o Ame ican publica ion. The second edi ion is
he e o e close o he w i e ´s manusc ip han he edi ion ha was published in he
i s place. In o he wo ds, Ame ican eade s we e gi en a na a i e wi h mo e
hema ical and s uc u al elemen s, a iche and mo e comple e no el, han B i ish
eade s. Al hough he pape back Penguin edi ion (published in 1997) s ill does no
con ain he “En oi” chap e , he e should no be any dispu es o e he “co ec ness”
o he wo e sions o he no el. Books a e he in ellec ual p ope y o au ho s and
i is hei igh o es ablish he exac con en s o hei wo k. The Ame ican edi ion
should, in my opinion, be conside ed he o icial e sion o The Wi ch… because i
o e s he ull ex , as o iginally concei ed by he au ho .
The inclusion o he “En oi” chap e is also impo an o a ull unde s anding o
he no el, as he na a i e is insu icen ly de eloped i his inal pa is no aken in o
conside a ion. In o he wo ds, i p o ides closu e, no jus an ending o he no el.
F om my poin o iew he Ame ican chap e explains si ua ions and e en s ha we e
le inconclusi e, like F ieda´s dea h. The eade las “sees” F ieda ali e a he end o
chap e i e, when she le s Will Paine in o s ay o he nigh . In he ollowing chap e
2 Thanks a e he e gi en o Ma ga e D abble o he kind help in answe ing he ques ions
s ic ly conce ning he publica ion o The Wi ch o Exmoo . The es o he issues discussed in he
a icle a e en i ely my own esponsibili y. Thanks a e also gi en o Ma ga i a Giménez Bon o
he assis ance.
THE MYSTERY OF THE NOVEL WITH A BRITISH AND AN AMERICAN ENDING
45
he messenge a i es a he house o ind i dese ed. The sea ch begins and no un il
he i s line o chap e se en a e we old ha F ieda´s body “was eco e ed h ee
weeks la e ” (196). I migh be a gued ha he e we e some hin s ha poin ed in his
di ec ion: Will Paine had w i en in his ax ha F ieda had liked o go along “a
dange ous walk”, and once he co pse is disco e ed he o icial inques de e mines
ha she died “by misad en u e” (202), bu e en hen his son Daniel suspec s ha
F ieda migh ha e commi ed suicide jumping o a cli (202). The exac cause o he
dea h is open o in e p e a ion un il he “En oi” chap e is ead.
Some hing simila happens o Na han´s end. He s eps o his axi by he
Thames a e a nigh ´s hea y ea ing and d inking, and nex he eade s a e old ha
“Na han is ished ou qui e p omp ly he nex mo ning…” (262). He had had a hea
a ack, he na a o explains, bu he same oice wonde s why he had been
“s anding a he bo om o a cobbled slipway wi h his ee in he Thames when he
oppled o e ” (263). In he “En oi” addi ion he spi i o Na han ells F ieda and
Belle ha he had simply el an ins inc i e u ge o walk down in o he wa e , d unk
as he was, and hen he had had he hea a ack.
F ieda´s appa en ly whimsical decision o lea e all he money o Da id o c ea e
he Jus Socie y, and he change o mind in a ou o he g andson Benjamin is also
explained in he new pages. The Ame ican chap e , he e o e, makes hings clea and
helps o ie up all he loose ends ha emained in he no el. Besides, he addi ion o
he “En oi” agmen makes explici he second dimension ha had been concealed in
he no el, he one ha D abble complained ha eade s and e iewe s had missed
when he B i ish edi ion was published. Wi h he su eal ending o he h ee dead
people on he boa o hea en, he ame o he na a i e changes comple ely, making
he eade conside he whole book unde a di e en pe spec i e, as i ins ils an ee ie
a mosphe e o he di e en pa s o he no el. In some way i p oduces a simila e ec
o ha o he inal chap e o D. M. Thomas´s The Whi e Ho el (1981), when a e all
he su e ing and anguish o he p e ious chap e s, including he own mu de , Lisa
E dman inally a i es in Pales ine and she is happily euni ed in he camp wi h all he
dead ela i es. In The Wi ch… he ame o he na a i e changes wi h he Ame ican
ending, as he omniscien na a i e oice ha guided he eade s h ough he Palme s´
s o y wi h a i m g asp o he si ua ion, ollowing he s yle o solid ealism (wi h
equen me a ic ional asides as he only a ia ions), now en e s a symbolic ealm ha
makes i mo e on unce ain g ound. I is no ha The Wi ch… is con e ed in o a
an asy no el by i ue o he inal chap e , bu i ce ainly con ibu es o adsc ibe i
in o wha Da id Lodge (1992: 208) calls “c osso e ic ion”, he kind o na a i e ha
combines adi ional ealism wi h any o he al e na i e o ms o con empo a y ic ion
such as abula ion, he non- ic ion no el o me a ic ion. In his sense The Wi ch…
would be commi ed o he mixing o li e a y s yles ha p edomina es in he
p oduc ion o p esen -day no elis s.
As has been said, apa om he opening o an asy, he na a i e also abounds
in me a ic ional asides, in which he cha ac e is ic in usi e na a o o D abble´s

JOSÉ FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ SÁNCHEZ
46
la es no els bu s s con iden ly in o he plo an icipa ing wha will happen nex
(“We a e nea ing he end … The e will be one o wo mo e dea hs, bu no many”,
251) o commen s on he ac ual p ocedu es o w i ing he no el (“We need a new
cha ac e ”, 77). As ega ds he non- ic ional end in con empo a y w i ing, he
eade is equen ly in o med by he na a o o cul u al, social and economic da a
in he s yle o a newspape a icle o an encyclopaedic en y which may help he
eade o comple e his o he pic u e o wha is happening in he s o y a a pa icula
momen . When Benjamin´s pa en s ell him ha hey will isi he ca es o Wookey
Hole on hei way o Exmoo , o ins ance, he na a o in o ms ha “[T]he wo ld´s
la ges ca e chambe is in he Gûnong Mulu Na ional Pa k in Sa awak, he la ges
unde wa e ca e is in Mexico, and he la ges ca e sys em in B i ain is he Ease Gill
sys em in Yo kshi e” (88). Likewise, in he cou se o he na a ion we ge o know
in ull de ail who is he owne o B i ish Suga plc (39), wha is he na ional a e age
le el o adon in B i ish homes (202) o ha “ he e a e ewe han 350 child
psycho he apis s in he whole o he Uni ed Kingdom” (230), among o he ac s.
The no el hus becomes an accu a e epo on he s a e o he na ion, which i s in o
D abble´s social conce ns. Howe e , i is he an as ic elemen in oduced in he las
chap e which gi es a wis o he na a i e, because i a ec s he whole s uc u e o
he ic ional wo ld ha D abble has c ea ed and i makes he eade conside he
plo unde a di e en p ism.
Despi e he addi ion o he “En oi” chap e , howe e , he e iews o The
Wi ch… we e no a ou able in Ame ica, jus like hey had no been good in B i ain
wi h he incomple e e sion. By eading he c i icism ha was published when he
no el came ou , i seems ha he ques ion o he wo le els on which he no el was
based was simply no an issue when any o he wo e sions we e conside ed in he
media. C i ics paid a en ion o wha hey conside ed signi ican laws o he book,
ega dless he symbolic o ealis ic le el in which i was w i en.
Anne Duchêne w o e in he Times Li e a y Supplemen ha i was di icul o
disen angle D abble´s hough s om hose o he p o agonis , F ieda Haxby,
conside ing he abundan in e en ions o he na a i e oice. He main objec ion o
he book was ha i was i egula and she de ined i as “a e y well mean , messy
book, uns eady in one and in i s conce ns” (1996: 26). The e iewe complained
ha he au ho had no eached he naked u h ha she had in ended o un eil and,
cu iously enough, i was he w i e o his B i ish e iew who hin ed a he
allego ical na u e o he s o y, bu wi hou explo ing his line u he : “S ill, The
Wi ch o Exmoo is, e y cau iously, e en clumsily, a muddled ai y- ale wi h a
egene a i e pu pose” (Ibid.).
Almos a yea la e he edi o o he Ou look sec ion o The Washing on Pos
published a e iew o he Ame ican edi ion o he no el, and she s a ed blun ly he
opinion on The Wi ch… a he beginning o he a icle: D abble´s book was “a a
and knowing peep show o B i ain´s p i ileged middle classes”. The e iewe ´s
main objec ion o he no el was ha he game o he “Veil o Igno ance” and he
THE MYSTERY OF THE NOVEL WITH A BRITISH AND AN AMERICAN ENDING
47
social c i icism ha i ensued was a me e dis ac ion, i was no de eloped o i s ull
ex en : “Wi h i s allusi e s yle, caus ic wi and sha p insigh s, i is a e y cle e
book. Bu , jus like he conund um om which i d aws i s inspi a ion, i some imes
eels mo e like an in ellec ual exe cise” (1997: X 09). The w i e o he a icle,
F ances S ead Selle s, also complained o a lack o d ama ic ension: “We ne e
eally unde s and he old lady´s mo i es” she w o e, and u he mo e she hough
ha he au ho ial in ussions we e “i i a ingly impe ious”.
A a ound he same ime James Wood, in The New Yo k Times, made he
ha shes c i icism on D abble´s no el so a . In his opinion, he main ailu e o he
book lay in he po ayal o i s cha ac e s. They we e p edic able ca ica u es, clichés
o eal people ha did no ansmi he illusion o being ali e: “D abble deals wi h he
subjec s as i hey we e nuisances, o me e a iables in he expe imen o he no el”
(Wood, 1997). The Palme s, o example, we e o he c i ic no mo e bu “se s o
D abble´s blowing whims”. The au ho o he no el ook, in his iew, special deligh
in showing he p o agonis s´ de ec s wi h he esul o no lea ing hem any space o
g ow h beyond hei da k side. As o D abble´s poli ics, James Wood conside ed ha
al hough he au ho spoke ang ily agains he e ils o con empo a y B i ain, i was a
kind o u y ha did no poin o any solu ion, i was a es lessness ha led o
nowhe e: “The e a e no choices in D abble´s wo ld, and hus no eal poli ics”. Jus
like he w i e o The Washing on Pos a icle, James Wood oiced a now egula
complain abou he au ho ´s “su oca ing in usions”.3 The e iew in The New Yo k
Times ended wi h he conclusion ha The Wi ch… ep esen ed “a genuine con usion
abou how o w i e ic ion a he end o he cen u y”.
These di e en opinions s em om wha now seems o be a commonly held
idea abou Ma ga e D abble ha ing supposedly los pa o he na a i e powe , on
one hand, and o no being he sha p c i ic o socie y ha he ollowe s emembe
om such books as The Ice Age (1977) o The Radian Way (1987), on he o he .
This end o opinion could be summa ized by he inal s a emen on D abble´s
en y in The Camb idge Guide o Women´s W i ing in English: “i he [D abble´s]
la e wo k has no always ul illed ea ly p omise, i is pe haps because o high
se iousness a he han i s lack” (Ka eney 1999: 202). Acco ding o his iew,
D abble would be able o c ea e ull con en ional po ayals o socie y and poli ics
o a solid appea ance bu wi hou an incisi e c i icism o subs ain i . Wi hou ha ing
he in en ion o polemice on his cu en o hough , ne e heless I would like o
en u e a di e en explana ion o he no elis ´s ecen app oach o ic ion. My
con en ion is ha D abble has ini ia ed a new ou e ha , hailing om con en ional
ealism, in ends o explo e he unce ain a eas o he occul , including my hs,
legends, iddles and eso e ism. Wha has been in e p e ed as a weakening o he
3 Ma ga e D abble i s in e up ed he low o discou se o add ess he eade s in The
Realms o Gold (1975), becoming since hen a common ea u e in he no els, and he c i ics ha e
gene ally eac ed agains his kind o na a i e in usions (see Ko n, 1975; o Manheime , 1978,
among o he s).
JOSÉ FRANCISCO FERNÁNDEZ SÁNCHEZ
48
skill o a no elis wi h solid ealis c eden ials, I would desc ibe as a imid bu
inequi ocal depa u e om a well- odden pa h, an explo a ion o new al e na i es
o he no el. I would like o p o e my hypo hesis wi h he discussion o he
missing chap e o The Wi ch…, bu i has o be said ha D abble´s la es no el so
a , The Se en Sis e s (2002), con i ms in my opinion he new di ec ion o he
na a i e, wi h plen y o e e ences o ancien my hs o a da k na u e (in his case
ollowing Vi gil´s Aeneid: a isi o he A e nus, he in oca ion o he sibyl a
Cumae, e c.) and pa allelisms wi h The Wi ch… such as he ( alse) d owning o he
p o agonis , a soli a y woman like F ieda Haxby.4
The e e ences o he occul we e comple ely missed in he e iews o The
Wi ch…, howe e ob ious hey may seem, and hei explici p esence in he
“En oi” chap e may wo k as an indica ion ha he no el should be ead om his
poin o iew. An “eso e ic” app oach is being demanded om he eade s, and he
Ame ican ending ac s as a con i ma ion o hose who ha e paid heed o he clues
ha a e sca e ed along he no el. Fo hose who ha e no , he inal chap e migh
ep esen he au ho ´s wa ning ha he e we e some elemen s in he na a i e ha
should be in e p e ed unde his new and enuous ligh . Unde he clash o wo ldly
impulses ha push o wa d he ac ion in he no el (co e ousness in he case o
Daniel o sel ishness in he case o Pa sy, his wi e, o men ion jus wo examples)
he e a e da k o ces a play which ac upon he cha ac e s´ li es in a sub le bu
de e minan way.
The e is a ull ange o signals ha s ess he leaning owa ds he unde wo ld
in he na a i e. The i s hin s o he exis ence o a hidden design come ea ly in he
ini ial chap e , when he younges ones in he house ga he o play a kind o ole-
playing game while hei pa en s si ound he dinne able. I is called “ he Powe
Game” (13) and Benjamin (“ he da k boy” [13] who “glows wi h da kness” [14] )
is he mas e and o ganize , hus p esen ing he boy as li ing om he beginning
wi h hidden o ces ha will la e ac agains him: he has chosen as his o ess
du ing he game he Isle aux Mo s, and Bel eneb os as he cap ain o his a my.
Benjamin is shown mu e ing an incan a ion a he beginning o he game, while his
wo younge cousins lis en mesme ized by his wo ds.
I was g andmo he F ieda who pu a spell on him when he was bo n:
“‘Benjamin,’ she said o him app aisingly, ‘you a e he younges child o Is ael,
Benjamin. You a e he child o Wa , you a e he wa io babe. You a e Bel eneb os,
he Beau i ul Obscu e’” (51). I is no su p ise, hen, ha Benjamin shows a g ea
in e es in he sub e anean wo ld, in ca es and unnels: “The unknown called o
him, he dep hs in i ed him” (95), and ha in his d eams his g andmo he ac s as a
guide and ini ia o , like Cha on ca ying he souls ac oss he S yx in o he land o
he dead: “He d eam ha his g andmo he F ieda was s anding wi h him a he
4 A e The Wi ch o Exmoo and be o e The Se en Sis e s, Ma ga e D abble has published a
no el based on he mo he , The Peppe ed Mo h (2001), in which she ies o come o e ms wi h
aspec s o he own pas .
THE MYSTERY OF THE NOVEL WITH A BRITISH AND AN AMERICAN ENDING
49
p ow o a boa on an unde g ound i e . The i e lowed apidly h ough a da k
unnel. F ieda was holding high a banne ha swi led in he wind” (88). When
Benjamin alls ill, he na a o s a es ha “He should no ha e meddled wi h hose
powe s (…) He has in oked bad spi i , black spi i ” (208).
The ealm ha Benjamin will s uggle o ge ou o is desc ibed in he book as
he pe manen abode o F ieda Haxby, and o e oke his gloomy place D abble
u ns o di e en sou ces aken om my hs and legends. The su oundings o he
house by he sea, o ins ance, a e desc ibed like he phan asmago ic landscape o
ai y ales whe e an e il spi i migh suddenly jump ou a an incau ious a elle :
F ieda walked on h ough he ancien woodland. I spoke o he o decay, he own
decay (…) Some [ ees] lean om he s eep slope a pe ilous angles, and o he s
we e up oo ed, eaching hei in e ed c owns in o he ai like g ea ma ed discs
o ed og e hai , o mons ous cu ling ib e. Twis ed aces pee ed a he om
se e ed, sca ed and s un ed limbs (…) S umps ose h ough he lea mould like
old ee h. (65-66)
F ieda is also a so e eign o an unde g ound wo ld like he one o Hades, king
o he dead. In a li e al sense, isi o s ha e o go h ough a s eep descen ha is
almos e ical o ge o he domain. Besides, he downwa ds pa h is illed wi h
pe ils, beas s and h ea ening noises (134). Like Hades, F ieda ules o e deceased
pe sons, he amily ghos s o he a he , mo he and sis e ha she gua ds in he
da k memo y o he compu e . O he e e ences in he no el ein o ce his
connec ion o he p o agonis wi h he king o he unde wo ld: “In Eu opean
olklo e (…)” w i es Robe G a es, “ he souls o he damned we e hun ed o he
No he n Hell by a yelling pack o hounds…” (1996: 122), and in a dis u bing pa
o he na a i e men ioned abo e dozens o u ious hounds “…in ull c y, howling
and yelping and la he ing…” (253) a e shown chasing a hind down he moun ain
owa ds F ieda´s house. Bu Hades is no he only king o da kness ha can be
aced in he na a i e. Like a Mil onic Sa an, he p o agonis li es in a cons an ly
dimmed en i onmen , nea ock pools by he sea which esemble sulphu ous
pi ches (112). Occassional ays o ligh il e h ough he c e ices o a clouded sky,
“ om which migh descend an angel, a g ace, a do e” (83).
Bu abo e e e y hing else, F ieda is a wi ch, and an emblema ic example o
he kind conside ing he ample ange o powe s. She is shown capable o p edic ing
he dea h o a iend and he d eams “a e omens sen om he o he wo ld” (143).
Like he h ee wi ches in Macbe h, F ieda can make a spell in he o m o a iddle
(108, 211), and like a con en ional wi ch, she is no isi o - iendly, keeps a shabby
appea ance and su ounds he sel wi h objec s ela ed o he c a like skulls o
objec s pie ced by needles (64). The au ho names my hical ances o s o F ieda,
like he Wi ch o Endo in he Book o Samuel in he Bible, and ollowing he
example she will in oke he dead (66), al hough one does no ha e o go a in he
icini y o ind a model o pe ec wi chc a , and in his sense F ieda may be he