In which the solitary figure of Elshender the Recluse, known as the Black Dwarf, is revealed through his tireless labours and peculiar genius upon Mucklestane Moor, eliciting both awe and suspicion from the local folk. Earnscliff, observing the recluse’s bitter misanthropy and dark wisdom, reflects upon the strange, sorrowful history that seems to have shaped this singular and enigmatic man.