Chapter XI Summary

The narrator awakes, still blindfolded. When he removes his blindfold, he finds that MacCruiskeen has left the holding cell unlocked with the keys in the lock, and Sergeant Pluck's bicycle has moved partway out in an attempt to escape. The narrator falls in love with the bicycle, which he perceives as female and to which he instantly forms a deep attachment. Riding the bicycle is a sensual act, as the narrator makes his escape on it, turning right instead of left outside the barracks to avoid the police. Soon, the narrator approaches Mathers' house and stops to look at it. The house seems empty, and the narrator's memory begins to become cloudy and vague.

As the narrator is about to leave, he sees a light from one of Mathers' windows. He goes in to investigate and finds nothing, but he can...