
audiobook
by Mrs. Newton Crosland, Mary Martha Sherwood
Transcribed from the 1849-1850 Darton and Co. edition by David Price, ccx074@pglaf.org
In a sun‑dappled Devonshire cottage, a mother and her son grapple with the meaning of honesty and generosity. When a lost bracelet is returned by a modest village boy, Charles Sidney scoffs at the idea of reward, seeing the gesture as a threat to his own possessions. His mother, Mrs. Sidney, gently pushes him to recognize that true worth lies not in hoarded treasures but in the quiet kindness of others.
The narrative then widens its lens, recalling the memory of Charles’s late brother Frank, whose selfless acts once cost him dearly. Through tender recollections, the story contrasts Frank’s open‑handedness with Charles’s reluctant stinginess, inviting listeners to reflect on the balance between personal comfort and charitable duty. As the children’s lives intertwine, the tale offers a warm, moral portrait of Victorian family life and the small, everyday choices that shape character.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (154K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2008-01-22
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1812–1895
A prolific Victorian writer, translator, and memoirist, she published fiction, poetry, essays, and sketches across a remarkably long career. Writing as Mrs. Newton Crosland, she also became known for her books on spiritualism and for a late-life literary memoir.
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1775–1851
A hugely prolific English writer, she shaped 19th-century children’s reading with stories that mixed family life, moral lessons, and evangelical faith. Her best-known books include The History of Little Henry and his Bearer and The History of the Fairchild Family.
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