Barnaby Rudge: A Tale of the Riots of Eighty

The narrative returns to Barnaby and Mary Rudge, who now live on the outskirts of a small village in the country and work to keep what little they have. One day a blind visitor comes by the house and asks for water and for Barnaby to go out and fetch some bread for him.

Once Barnaby is gone, the visitor reveals himself to be Stagg, who has come to get money from Mary for his friend, the stranger. Mary tells Stagg she is just as poor as he, but he reminds her she has wealthy friends and asks her to write to them.

When he returns, Barnaby tells Stagg about how he searches for money for his mother’s sake and asks the man how to obtain it. Stagg tells him he can find gold better in crowds than on his own. Mary takes Stagg outside and gives him six guineas—all that she has saved over five years—and tells him she can get more but needs a week to get it from friends in another part of the country. Stagg agrees to return in exactly seven days, and confirms that his friend has left London for good before leaving Mary.