"My Novel" — Complete

In a winter‑lit tower, a lively gathering of scholars, relatives, and curious onlookers circles a great globe, each turning it for their own amusement. Mr. Caxton muses on ancient migrations, linking the distant peoples of Scandinavia and the Etruscans through tangled etymologies, while his wife adjusts a modest frock, half‑listening and half‑caught up in the debate. Around the fire, Pisistratus broods over the practicalities of land and trade, his sour mood contrasting sharply with Uncle Roland’s absorption in a mysterious third volume.

The conversation drifts from grand theories of human origins to the nitty‑gritty of railway shares and the Corn Laws, revealing a microcosm of Victorian curiosity and anxiety. Mr. Squills, ever the free‑trader, pores over the latest “Times,” seeking the perfect moment to invest, while the family’s younger members watch the intellectual sparring with a mix of admiration and bewilderment. This opening scene sets the tone for a novel that blends witty discourse, social observation, and the restless quest for knowledge that defined its era.