A Dark Night's Work Chapter 1

In which we are gently introduced to the reputable Mr. Wilkins, a conveyancing attorney of some note in a small county town, and his fine son Edward, whose refined tastes and accomplished manners set him apart from the local gentry. The narrative softly paints Edward’s coming of age and his tentative entrance into the exclusive social assemblies of Hamley, where old prejudices mingle uneasily with new graces.