Keckwick himself represents the mysterious and hidden elements of the passage that the protagonist seems unaware of. His silence and ‘dark hints’ show that there is some irony at Kipps’ expense: Keckwick knows secrets of the place and its past that Kipps doesn’t. Kipps seems aware of the fact that something fishy is going on – he thinks that Keckwick might ‘try and put him (off) the enterprise’. The fact that Keckwick ‘just nodded’ clearly shows his unwillingness to be involved in the matter. When ‘he thought for some time’ the reason could be that he was thinking of the best way to deal with the situation. This in turn raises the level of fear because both Kipps and the readers are left in suspense.
Gothic features are represented in nature frequently (‘immensity and wideness of marsh and sky’) and the fact that there were ‘smaller and smaller figures’. There is a sense that humans are tiny against nature’s forces. Hill introduces the pathetic fallacy and the sense of the sublime once more in the description of ‘a great, wintry, golden-red ball’ as well as ‘fire and blood-red streaks’; these are metaphors which emphasise the forces of nature and give the impression that it is much more powerful than humanity.
The ‘ruins’ Kipps encounters at first are of an ‘ancient chapel’; he guesses them to be ‘monastic in origin’. This particular fact is associated with the idea of religion, prayer and devotion. The ruins (‘all broken down and crumbling’) which are ‘lying about in the grass’ imply that human achievements are insignificant in the great time scale of nature. When Kipps enters the ‘burial ground’, he watches in ‘astonishment’ at the state of ‘fifty old gravestones’. They are either ‘leaning over or completely fallen’ and are ‘covered in patches of greenish-yellow lichen and moss’. Here we see that nature erodes the efforts of puny humans (through the ‘salt wind’ and ‘driven rain’). Moreover, the fact that ‘no names or dates were now decipherable’ on the gravestones shows how completely natural forces have eradicated records of human existence.
Whilst in ‘the ruins’, Kipps encounters a bird with ‘a harsh croaking cry’. Supremely, Hill refers to it by saying: ‘It was an ugly, satanic looking thing’, i.e. making comparisons between the bird and the devil. The importance of this comparison is that Hill is suggesting that there is evil amongst Earth’s creatures that made Kipps ‘suppress a shudder’ and that nature can be cruel. Shortly afterwards, he goes on to fantasise about the ‘lonely spot’, thinking about ‘how it would be on a warm evening at midsummer’, and imagines ‘June birds pour(ing) out their finest songs’. This ironic fantasy as well as Kipps’ bird-watching of beautiful birds earlier on provides a direct contrast between the bird Kipps encounters and his imaginary and birds. Furthermore, as soon as Kipps’ fantasy ends, he enters a ‘small burial ground’. Here, he comes across the ‘unpleasant, snake-necked bird’ a second time; this time however ‘its beak was hookes around a fish that writhed and struggled helplessly’. The actions of the bird at this moment reinforces the ideas of evil and cruelty – that the world is a harsh place and in many cases out of control of humans.
Generally, the reader feels true respect towards Kipps’ bravery slightly further on in the story, when his calmness and equanimity are restored; he has renewed courage. He feels far ‘more composed’ and intends not to run away; instead, he keeps his ‘determination’ and decides to ‘face it out’. The protagonist is exhibiting hubris; he has an arrogant belief that he is immune and that he can take on and overcome the forces of evil, but he can only meet his nemesis.
