The Bramleighs of Bishop's Folly

Village gossip gathers around a ruined mansion when a wealthy London banker buys the property and prepares to restore it. Known locally as Bishop's Folly, the house stands above the sea near Portshandon in Ireland. Captain Craufurd and Mrs. Bayley, the postmistress, argue about the Bramleigh family's reasons for settling there. Their competing judgments introduce Charles Lever's social comedy through a conversation about wealth, local pride and the importance a new neighbour might bring.

Later scenes show Augustus Bramleigh and his sister Ellen in modest lodgings at Louvain. Augustus finds the role of future family head and heir uncomfortable, preferring the prospects of a smaller fortune and less ambition. Elsewhere, a curate's social visit becomes a demanding examination of his religious beliefs. Readers drawn to fiction about manners will find humour in these awkward encounters, along with a portrait of people negotiating expectations about position, money and personal conviction.