Adam of the Road

After swimming the Wey, Adam walks along the riverbank and finds a house with a garden, where an old dog is lying. He befriends the dog and falls asleep, using the dog as a pillow. The owners of the house are the ferry driver and his wife, John and Jill Ferryman. When the Ferrymans return home, they take Adam inside, feed him, remove his wet clothes, and let him sleep in an upstairs room. Jill also finds Adam’s harp, shoes, and wallet on the dock and returns them to him. Adam sleeps late the next morning, fully expecting Roger to be waiting for him when he wakes.

When Adam goes downstairs, he tells John and Jill about Jankin’s stealing Nick and how he lost his father. Jill tells Adam to go back to Guildford by ferry to find his father and then travel to the nearby town of Farnham, where Jankin will most likely be staying. To thank them, Adam sings and plays his harp. He tries to give John a silver penny, but the man refuses. Jill invites Adam to return to their home if he cannot find Roger.

Once he arrives in Guildford again, Adam becomes increasingly frightened, as he cannot find Roger anywhere.