Summary

Chapter 19 begins on Conn’s final day to find his locus magicalicus. When he appears in the kitchen for breakfast, Benet tells him to “stop messing about” and to “find the stone and be done with it” (209). When Conn brings breakfast to Nevery, the door is closed, and Nevery tells Conn to leave the tray and go away. When Conn returns to the kitchen, Benet offers him a black sweater he has knitted by hand. It is slightly too big, but Conn appreciates it. He heads out in search of his stone, but doesn’t feel confident in his effort. He thinks, “if I didn’t find it, maybe I wouldn’t come back at all” (211).

In Nevery’s journal, he criticizes Keeston for having “no initiative, no ideas, no curiosity about magic” (212). He says that when Keeston was out, Benet came to his...