Armadale

Randall: Nobody hires a window washer who brings his dog around.

Armadale: Same with lizards.

—File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents, "Silver Spoon"

Armadale is a drifter who visits Stain'd-by-the-Sea. He appears in File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents in the sixth incident, "Silver Spoon," and is mentioned in the alternate conclusions.

Biography

Early Life

Armadale joined a band of drifters for unknown reasons. He is noted to be good at spotting edible mushrooms. He also had several pet lizards, which he had to leave behind in camp in order to get hired for odd jobs.

The drifters ended up in Stain'd-by-the-Sea, where they made camp in a grove of trees. They befriended the sub-librarian, Dashiell Qwerty, who would come to read to them.^[1]

File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents

Silver Spoon

One day, Armadale and the drifters go to Blotted Boulevard to harvest mushrooms. Upon returning to camp, the guard dog Ashberry is barking incessantly, a smoking cigarillo is found by the fire, and Randall realizes his prized silver spoon is missing. As he had an encounter with Smogface Wiley previously, the drifters realize he is likely the culprit and want to go with Randall to retrieve the spoon, but he insists on going alone. He is, however, turned out.

The drifters inform Qwerty that night, as he reads to them from Howards End. The following night, Qwerty brings Lemony Snicket to hear Randall's story and help solve the case.

Alternate Conclusions

It is mentioned in the conclusion "Missing Pets" that Armadale's lizards were taken by a Mrs. Flammarion, transporting them in a large tank originally designed for amphibians. Snicket manages to find them, and Mrs. Flammarion admits her crime and returns her keys and wig.

Though Armadale is only mentioned by name in that alternate conclusion, several other conclusions mention lizards and reptiles- "Backseat" mentions that stolen reptile or amphibian eggs were kept in a heated suitcase, "Beneath the Street" says that several small lizards travelled through a drain towards the Clusterous Forest, and "Large Meal" mentions some sort of sauce prepared with the meat of amphibians and lizards. (To a lesser extent, "Quiet Street" mentions Blotted Boulevard, where the drifters went to harvest mushrooms.)

Trivia

Armadale's name is likely a reference to the 1864-66 mystery novel by Wilkie Collins.

Appearances

Books
A Series of Unfortunate Events (Books)
1. The Bad Beginning (1999):	Absent	7. The Vile Village (2001):	Absent
2. The Reptile Room (1999):	Absent	8. The Hostile Hospital (2001):	Absent
3. The Wide Window (2000):	Absent	9. The Carnivorous Carnival (2002):	Absent
4. The Miserable Mill (2000):	Absent	10. The Slippery Slope (2003):	Absent
5. The Austere Academy (2000):	Absent	11. The Grim Grotto (2004):	Absent
6. The Ersatz Elevator (2001):	Absent	12. The Penultimate Peril (2005):	Absent
13. The End (2006):		Absent
All the Wrong Questions
Who Could That Be at This Hour? (2012):	Absent	Shouldn't You Be in School? (2014):	Absent
When Did You See Her Last? (2013):	Absent	Why Is This Night Different from All Other Nights? (2015):	Absent
File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents (2014):		Debut
Snicketverse
Lemony Snicket: The Unauthorized Autobiography (2002):		Absent
The Dismal Dinner (2004):		Absent
The Beatrice Letters (2006):		Absent
29 Myths on the Swinster Pharmacy (2014):		Absent
The Hero of the Story (2017):		Absent
Poison for Breakfast (2021):		Absent
Other Snicket Books
The Baby in the Manger (2002):		Absent
The Latke Who Couldn't Stop Screaming (2007):		Absent
The Lump of Coal (2008):		Absent
The Composer Is Dead (2009):		Absent
13 Words (2010):		Absent
The Dark (2013):		Absent
Goldfish Ghost (2017):		Absent

Sources

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 PROSE: File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents

[13Incidents-1] 1.0 ^1.1 PROSE: File Under: 13 Suspicious Incidents

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