Chapter VI: The Stranger – Summary & Analysis

Spoiler Notice: This page contains spoilers for Chapter 6 of Between Two Kings. Read on only if you are following along with the book.

Chapter Summary

At the Hôtellerie des Médicis in Blois, innkeeper Maître Cropole has a single lodger: a tall, melancholic gentleman of about thirty who speaks with an English accent. Dressed in black velvet with jet buttons and a simple white collar, the stranger has occupied the best rooms since the previous day, eating little and speaking only to say he awaits a traveler named Parry. On the morning of Louis XIV’s arrival, the inn erupts in preparations. Cropole, eager to profit from the royal visit, informs the stranger that lodging prices have risen. He suggests the gentleman might give up some rooms, but the stranger refuses. Cropole then explains that the daily rate for the three double rooms is now six louis instead of one. Together with the previous day’s charge, the stranger owes seven louis. After emptying his purse of six louis and scraping together an additional louis from small change, the stranger is left with nothing to pay for the next day. He offers a diamond as security, urging Cropole to sell it if needed. The innkeeper’s greed gives way to shame at the stranger’s noble disdain for money. Once alone, the stranger locks the door, confirms his complete destitution, and lifts his eyes in prayer. He then resumes his motionless vigil at the window as night falls over Blois.

Key Events

The mysterious, well-dressed English stranger sits at his balcony window, watching the street and awaiting a man named Parry.
As the town bustles with preparations for King Louis XIV’s visit, Cropole enters to discuss the lodger’s situation.
Cropole initially proposes that the stranger give up one or two rooms, but the stranger insists on keeping the entire apartment.
Cropole announces the new daily rate of six louis (up from one) and demands seven louis total for the past and current days.
The stranger produces six louis from an embroidered purse, then finds a seventh from odd coins in his pockets.
To secure the room for the following day, the stranger hands over a diamond, suggesting Cropole sell it to a jeweler.
Cropole, overcome with remorse for his earlier suspicion, apologises profusely and retreats.
Alone, the stranger verifies his utter poverty, silently prays, and returns to the window, remaining motionless until evening.

Character Development

The Stranger: From the outset, the narrative presents him as a gentleman of high breeding. His long, pale, tapered hands, his direct and imperious gaze, and his haughty refusal to accept any title beyond “Monsieur” all underscore an ingrained nobility. His English accent marks him as a foreigner, and his melancholy solitude suggests a man burdened by some hidden calamity. The chapter reveals the practical consequences of that burden: he is destitute, clutching a diamond as his final resource. Yet he never pleads or bargains; instead, he meets Cropole’s demands with cold dignity, and when alone, he turns to prayer—a gesture that transforms his outward calm into a moment of profound, inward despair.

Maître Cropole: The innkeeper is portrayed as a well-meaning but profit-driven man. He sizes up lodgers quickly and is not above exploiting the king’s arrival to raise prices. His eagerness to turn a louis into six shows a commercial mind, but his descent from an officer of Marshal d’Ancre gives him a remnant of gentlemanly sensibility. When the stranger offers the diamond without haggling, Cropole’s greed collapses into shame, and his genuine remorse reveals a heart capable of honour, even if it is often eclipsed by business instinct.

Madame Cropole and Pittrino: Madame Cropole’s appearance is fleeting—she peers curiously at the stranger from the staircase, embodying the nosy, bustling energy of the household. Pittrino, usually a phlegmatic smoker, is roused to action by the royal preparations, contributing to the morning’s commotion that startles the stranger.

Themes, Symbols, or Motifs

Exile and Destitution: The stranger’s poverty is acute; his “complete destitution” reduces him to a single diamond. The chapter vividly illustrates how a noble exile can be brought low while still maintaining his pride.
The Contrast of Two Kings: While the town scrambles to welcome the young Louis XIV with pomp and pageantry, an exiled monarch—soon to be revealed—languishes unnoticed in an inn, struggling to pay his rent. This juxtaposition of two royal fates is a central motif.
Appearance vs. Reality: The stranger’s fine clothing and aristocratic bearing mask his financial ruin. Cropole’s first impression of a prosperous lodger is shattered when he sees the flaccid purse and the diamond offered as a last resort.
The Window: The stranger’s repeated station at the window symbolises waiting—waiting for Parry, for news, for a change of fortune. It also places him as a detached observer of the world’s bustle, reinforcing his isolation.
Prayer as Solace: In the moment of his greatest calamity, the stranger raises his eyes to heaven. This quiet act of faith humanises him and suggests that, stripped of all material resources, his inner strength derives from something beyond earthly power.
The Diamond: The stone is more than currency; it is a fragment of a past life, an object of value that the stranger treats with a mixture of necessity and noble disregard. It acts as a test of Cropole’s character and a symbol of what the stranger has lost.

Why This Chapter Matters

This chapter introduces the exiled Charles II (still unnamed) and establishes the grim financial reality that will drive much of the early plot. By placing him in the same town and on the same day as the triumphant arrival of Louis XIV, the narrative immediately sets up a profound contrast between the security of a reigning monarch and the desperation of a king without a throne. The intimate scene of an innkeeper haggling over rooms gives the reader a tangible sense of the stranger’s plight, making his later quest for aid all the more urgent. It also showcases the quiet dignity and inner resolve that will define his character throughout the story.

Study Questions and Answers

How does the chapter communicate that the stranger is a gentleman, despite his poverty? The chapter relies on physical detail and behaviour: long, pale hands with visible veins; a direct, unflinching gaze that compels others to look away; a refusal to accept any title beyond “Monsieur”; and a haughty tone that brooks no discussion. His possession of a diamond and an embroidered coin purse hints at former wealth, while his calm acceptance of his predicament reflects an ingrained sense of honour.
What is the significance of Cropole’s change of heart? Cropole begins as a pragmatic businessman who sees the king’s visit as a chance to maximise profit. His demand for higher rent and his implied suspicion that the stranger might not be able to pay expose a mixture of greed and class prejudice. When the stranger offers the diamond without quibbling, Cropole’s shame reveals that he still reveres true nobility. This moment shows that even in a commercial transaction, the stranger’s innate superiority commands respect and reawakens the innkeeper’s better nature.
Why does the stranger linger at the window even after Cropole leaves? The window is a place of waiting and observation. Having confirmed his destitution and prayed for strength, the stranger returns to his vigil, suggesting that he expects Parry—or perhaps some form of deliverance—to arrive from the street below. His motionlessness as night falls underscores a state of suspension: he has done all he can, and now he can only wait for fate to move.