Three millions!

A fortune of three million dollars sets the scale for a story about family expectations and the price of accumulating money. Baltimore businessman John Hungerford has spent decades building his wealth while living with severe economy. His brother's widow manages a modest household with her children, Eugene and Julia, while his own wife hopes that her son Tom Lynch will inherit. Oliver Optic introduces these competing circumstances through a family history that links education, ambition and financial dependence.

The novel also turns toward an inquiry into a death. Lawyer Richard Birch questions a fisherman about two men seen leaving in a boat, only to find that the witness identifies Birch himself. His suspicion that Dr. Bilks has influenced the testimony gives the scene its tension. Written for young readers, the book offers family drama alongside a mystery, with attention to how money and personal obligation affect people's judgments.