The Cricket on the Hearth
'The Cricket on the Hearth' Summary
John Peerybingle, a carrier, lives with his young wife Dot, their baby boy and their nanny Tilly Slowboy. A cricket chirps on the hearth and acts as a guardian angel to the family. One day a mysterious elderly stranger comes to visit and takes up lodging at Peerybingle's house for a few days.
The life of the Peerybingles intersects with that of Caleb Plummer, a poor toymaker employed by the miser Mr. Tackleton. Caleb has a blind daughter Bertha, and a son Edward, who travelled to South America and is thought to be dead.
The miser Tackleton is now on the eve of marrying Edward's sweetheart, May, but she does not love Tackleton. Tackleton tells John Peerybingle that his wife Dot has cheated on him, and shows him a clandestine scene in which Dot embraces the mysterious lodger; the latter, who is in disguise, is actually a much younger man than he seems. John is cut to the heart over this as he loves his wife dearly, but decides after some deliberations to relieve his wife of their marriage contract.
In the end, the mysterious lodger is revealed to be none other than Edward who has returned home in disguise. Dot shows that she has indeed been faithful to John. Edward marries May hours before she is scheduled to marry Tackleton. However, Tackleton's heart is melted by the festive cheer (in a manner reminiscent of Ebenezer Scrooge), and he surrenders May to her true love.
Book Details
Language
EnglishOriginal Language
EnglishPublished In
1845Author
Charles Dickens
England
Charles Dickens created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian era. Charles John Huffam Dickens was born on 7 February 18...
More on Charles DickensDownload eBooks
Listen/Download Audiobook
Related books
A Little Girl in Old New York by Amanda Minnie Douglas
The first entry in A Little Girl series, a series of historical fiction books for young girls, A Little Girl in Old New York chronices the adventures...
Pierrot, Dog Of Belgium by Walter Alden Dyer
Pierrot, the heroic dog of Belgium, fought with his country's army to defend the native land. This unforgettable tale of a dog's fidelity follows Pier...
The Duke's Children by Anthony Trollope
The Duke's Children is a novel by Anthony Trollope, first published in 1879 as a serial in All the Year Round. It is the sixth and final novel of the...
Christmas Every Day and Other Stories Told for Children by William Dean Howells
The little girl came into her papa's study, as she always did Saturday morning before breakfast, and asked for a story. He tried to beg off that morni...
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Woman in White is Wilkie Collins's fifth published novel, written in 1859. It is considered to be among the first mystery novels and is widely reg...
His Family by Ernest Poole
His Family is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the fir...
The Freelands by John Galsworthy
It is a captivating novel that explores the themes of family, love, and social change. This book takes readers on a journey through the lives of the F...
Veronica by Johanna Spyri
Published in 1886, this novel encompasses a small community wherein Veronica, having lost her own mother, is “adopted” by a neighbour, Gertrude, who h...
Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope
Doctor Thorne by Anthony Trollope is the third novel in the Chronicles of Barsetshire series, between Barchester Towers and Framley Parsonage. The ide...
Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell
Wives and Daughters, An Every-Day Story is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in the Cornhill Magazine as a serial from August 1864 to Janu...
Reviews for The Cricket on the Hearth
No reviews posted or approved, yet...