
Three spirited brothers—Angel, the narrator, and the youngest, Seraph—find themselves under the watchful eye of the stern Mrs. Handsomebody after their father's untimely death abroad. Placed in a narrow, gray house that looms beside a cathedral in the bleak town of Misthorpe, they trade the warm countryside for creaking wooden staircases and the oppressive hush of a governess’s regime. Their days are filled with daring escapades, from racing down walnut bannisters to sneaking into the forbidden parlour where dust‑laden portraits and silent stuffed birds keep watch.
Amid the gloom, the boys’ boundless energy and unbreakable bond turn the house into a playground of imagination and mischief. Their sister‑like ally, Mary Ellen, shares in their adventures, adding a touch of bright, boisterous health to the otherwise somber surroundings. As they navigate the constraints of their new life, the story captures the restless spirit of youth discovering freedom in the most unlikely of places.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (321K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Charlene Taylor, Matt Whittaker and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive/Canadian Libraries)
Release date
2008-05-02
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1879–1961
Best known for the wildly popular Jalna novels, this Canadian writer created one of the 20th century's most enduring family sagas. Her books brought country houses, tangled relationships, and generations of Whiteoak drama to readers around the world.
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