- On his way to Knowlesbury, Walter is followed by some of Percival's goons.
- The men provoke Walter into a fight and then stage a citizen's arrest and haul him to the magistrate.
- Walter asks that they write Mr. Dawson as a character reference.
- Dawson writes back and Walter is able to make bail.
- Once freed, Walter heads to the church and meets with a Mr. Wansborough.
- He goes through the copy registry and discovers that the marriage entry for Sir Percival's parents isn't there.
- Sir Percival totally forged the entry in Welmingham to disguise the fact that he's illegitimate, which means that Blackwater Park isn't even his. Scandal!
- In case we were unsure about the fact that this is a scandal, Walter spends the next few pages saying, "No really, this is a major scandal!"
- We now enter the action-adventure phase of the novel.
- Our intrepid hero encounters more goons (possibly the same stupid ones) on his way back to Welmingham and gets into a fight (again).
- Walter wisely runs like mad from further fighting, because he is outnumbered (and a bit rusty with his street-fighting skills).
- Our favorite drawing teacher/amateur detective/boxer (for two seconds)/Olympic running star hightails it to Welmingham.
- He rushes to find the clerk, who is flipping out over the fact that his keys are gone.
- Walter heads to the church and encounters a man who mistakes him for Sir Percival.
- Turns out it's Sir Percival's servant, which probably means that Sir Percival is in the house.
- Or church, as the case may be.
- Suddenly the church catches on fire. No, really. And Sir Percival is trapped inside.
- Some very tense scenes follow as Walter leads a rescue effort for the man who monumentally screwed over his one true love and his BFF Marian.
- But the fire is too strong, and Sir Percival dies.
- Talk about cosmic justice.