Chapter 1 Summary

The second book in A Series of Unfortunate Events begins with the three Baudelaire orphans, Violet, Klaus and Sunny, traveling on Lousy Lane in Mr. Poe's car. The Grim River runs alongside, and the area boasts a horseradish factory, which makes the entire area smell strongly of horseradish. Along the way, Mr. Poe tells Violet, Sunny and Klaus about their new guardian, Dr. Montgomery. He doesn't seem to know much about their new guardian, except that he is a scientist who travels a great deal.

As the group pulls into Dr. Montgomery's estate, they see strange hedges in the form of snakes in the yard in front of a very nice house. Mr. Poe instructs the children to refer to their new guardian as Dr. Montgomery since his first name is also Montgomery. This strikes the children as somewhat odd, but they hope...