Waterland

Tom and Dick open the trunk where they discover 11 bottles, one being the murder weapon, and a letter written by their grandfather years ago with the inscription: “To the First-Born of Mrs. Henry Crick” (320). Dick wants to know the contents of the letter, so Tom reads it to him.

After revealing who wrote the letter, Toms blurts out that the baby is really his, not Dick’s, and attempts to explain why that is good, since the letter says Dick shouldn’t have children. Tom’s explanation only further confuses Dick, so in a final attempt to make things better, Tom exclaims, “you’re going to be—the Saviour of the World” (323).

Dick flees. Tom and Henry see him ride away on his motorcycle, and Tom reveals that Dick “knows, Dad. Dick knows” (324). They both dread what Dick will do, as he has a sack of 10 bottles on his back and is heading for the dredger.

Tom leaves his psychologically broken wife at the asylum. She grieves not for him but for the baby she had to return. She has legally been acquitted of all charges in the incident. Aware that she is forever lost to him, Tom suffers from insomnia; “to comfort himself he tells himself stories” (331).