Adam of the Road

Adam continues his journey to London and the de Lisle house. He imagines arriving at the manor and being greeted by Roger and Nick, reciting to himself from the tale of Havelok: “Sleep son, sleep tight and fear nothing” (266). However, when Adam arrives at Sir Edmund’s house, the porter ushers him inside but tells him that the king summoned Sir Edmund and most of the household staff, including Roger, to travel to Wales to quell the rebellion there. The porter tells Adam that Roger searched everywhere for him before leaving and left a message telling Adam to stay at Sir Edmund’s house until someone can take him to Ludlow, where Roger will meet him in May.

Adam is devastated that he missed his father yet again and stays at Sir Edmund’s through the winter. Only the porter’s family and the bailiff’s family, including Adam’s old friend Matthew, are staying in the large house. The de Lisle family took all the luxuries Adam remembers from his prior stay with them to Wales. The entire manor is cold, dark, and gloomy. Matthew and Adam try to find fun things to do outside the house, often watching performances in London. Adam occasionally tells minstrel tales in the city for money, but he misses his harp, which is still with the de Vesey family. Christmas and New Year come and go; despite the many festivities, no one seems particularly happy.

In midwinter, Fleet Stream freezes over, and people ice skate by tying animal bones to the bottom of their shoes. Adam spends much of his free time ice skating, going as fast as he can. One day, while he is skating, Adam runs headfirst into Jankin. When Adam realizes who the man is, he tackles him, demanding to know what Jankin did with Nick. Others hurry to pull Adam off Jankin, who tells him that Nick chewed through his leash two weeks ago and ran away. Jankin has been unable to find the dog since that day. He also tells Adam that he has regretted taking Nick ever since Adam jumped into the River Wey chasing them, saying that he didn’t realize how much the dog means to Adam. He skates away, saying that if Adam can find Nick, he can keep both the dog and Bayard.

Adam is disheveled from his fall and tackling Jankin, but he begins to feel hopeful again. He realizes that Nick chewed through his leash in a town close to Adam’s prior school, so he thinks Nick must be at Dame Malkin’s home.

Chapter 21 opens with Adam singing a song he wrote about returning to the road and finding his place as a minstrel again. He is traveling to Dame Malkin’s house from Sir Edmund’s home, which he left a week ago. Adam’s song is about shaking off the dust that gathered while he was idle and looking forward to traveling and telling his story.

Before Adam left Sir Edmund’s house, the bailiff told him to stay at St. Alban’s, go to Ludlow, or return to Sir Edmund’s to keep him and Roger from losing each other again. Adam spends three days with Dame Malkin in St. Alban’s. She tells him that Nick came to the house, but Perkin took the dog with him to Oxford. Adam sleeps in the guest house at his old school and is amazed by how young all the students look, even though he was a student there less than a year ago. Adam leaves Dame Malkin and St. Alban’s to find Perkin and Nick at Oxford, planning to visit Perkin’s family in Ewelme on his way.

He is happy to be on the road but wishes he had his harp and that his shoes were in better condition. While traveling to Ewelme, Adam stops in different towns to eat and sleep, telling stories and spreading local news, just like a real minstrel would. He trudges through rain and snow; eventually, his shoes fall apart, and he walks barefoot.

On one of his stops, Adam performs for the steward of the Abbey of Bec, a busy man with great influence. Adam earns the steward’s favor, and the man gives him five pennies and tells him to talk to the Warden of Merton College when he gets to Oxford. Cheered by this, Adam travels on, although he soon begins to feel sorry for himself and every other creature who is victim to the winter’s cold wind and snow.

Adam arrives in Ewelme and follows the villagers into a church, thinking it is too late to find Perkin’s family. Adam is standing in the back of the church when he feels someone moving behind him. He turns and sees Perkin standing nearby. They greet each other as they used to in school, and Perkin leads Adam to his family’s home, where Nick is waiting for him.

Adam and Nick are overjoyed to be reunited, and Adam and Perkin laugh and enthusiastically play with Nick. Adam meets Perkin’s brothers, his mother, and his father, who is a plowman. Adam sleeps with Perkin that night. Perkin whispers that he was supposed to be in Oxford by now, but he had to help his father plant and plow because his father is the lord’s plowman and doesn’t have time to seed his own fields. Adam offers to help, and the boys plan to have Adam take Perkin’s place on the farm so Perkin can go study at Oxford. This will give Adam time to earn money for new shoes and minstrel clothes.

Adam learns to help the plowman maintain the farm and finds his place in Perkin’s family with Nick. Adam acts as the family’s own minstrel and spends many nights performing for the family and their neighbors. In late spring, Perkin’s mother gives Adam clothes she dyed red and blue and sews him a minstrel robe. The town’s parson gives the cobbler some scraps of leather to make Adam new shoes. The miller gives Adam his old bagpipes. As a surprise, Perkin’s family gives Adam a pair of bright red hose to wear beneath his robe. Adam puts on his new clothes and plays the bagpipes for the family, finally feeling like a minstrel again.

Adam says farewell to Perkin’s family and travels on to Oxford. From the outside, Oxford looks like a peaceful fairy city full of tall spires, but inside, it is noisy and full of people and animals. Adam sees all kinds of people—friars, rich men, poor men, students, hunters, merchants, and beggars. At one point, everyone in the street presses against the edges of the street to allow the king’s messenger to pass through.

Adam finds his way to Perkin’s school, Merton College, and plays a song for him and his fellow scholars. One of the seniors who run the college allows Adam to dine with the students. That same senior tells the students that the king’s messenger who passed through the city earlier was on his way to Parliament, which will include common people for the first time in England’s history.

Perkin tries to persuade Adam to remain at Oxford and study, but Adam refuses, wanting to be a minstrel instead. He sits in a lecture with Perkin the next morning but finds it very boring. Just as Perkin and Adam are about to part ways, an underclassman summons both boys to the warden’s office. They are both afraid.

When they open the door to the warden’s office, Adam sees Roger standing with him. Not wanting to make a scene, Roger and Adam shake hands instead of embracing. Adam notices that Roger took off his glove and shook his bare hand, greeting him as an equal. On his journey, Roger ran into the steward of the Abbey of Bec, whom Adam impressed, and learned that Adam left for Oxford. Roger gives Adam the opportunity to remain at Oxford and study. Adam again refuses this opportunity, telling his father, “No, thank you, […] I am a minstrel. I want to be on the road with you” (316). Roger looks at Adam fondly, seeing him as a strong, independent young man. He calls Adam “son” and tells Adam that he did well.