It is always a struggle to make ends meet for 40-year-old Janet Merridew, wife of a barrister and mother of 10 children. Now she receives news of a large inheritance, but feels she may have to turn it down - without her husband ever knowing about it. She turns for help to her discreet friend Mrs Mulgrave.
This is part of the series Neighbours on the Green, which takes place in the fictional village of Dinglefield Green. (See Series and Themes below for more information.)
Biographical and other notes
This story has similarities to another Janet story - see "2 Related Story Lines" below.
British publishing information
Periodical: Cornhill Magazine Sept 1869
First edition: MacMillan and Co (collected in Neighbours on the Green) 1889
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