Victorian author Margaret Oliphant introduces readers to the town of Carlingford in this short story about the aftermath of the reading of a will that managed to disappoint everyone, from the poor relations who expected to be the sole heirs to the attorney appointed as executor, who had not drawn up the will or known anything of the unusual tasks he would be required to undertake. The story is a pleasing character sketch of both the town and some of its inhabitants, with an unexpectedly happy ending for both the attorney and one of the poor relations. ( )

A sweet little story involving a strange bequest and a man’s emotional growth. More of a short character study than a plot-drive tale.
Margaret Oliphant is a fine Victorian writer, more in the vein of Trollope than Dickens. ( )