Wilkie Collins

No Name Wilkie Collins

The Vanstone house at Combe Raven was one of contentment and ease. In it were Andrew Vanstone and his wife, their two lovely and charming daughters-Norah and Magdalen-and a wise, kindly nurse and governess, Miss Garth. It was a household in which cook and servants enjoyed immunity from scolding, pets were allowed to range freely, and the affairs of the house ran as smoothly as an old but trustworthy clock. One morning, Mr. and Mrs. Vanstone broke the quiet routine of the household with the announcement that they must go immediately to London on urgent but secret business. This announcement came after the arrival of a letter postmarked New Orleans. They were gone for almost a month. On their return, they refused to reveal by any statement or hint the nature of their trip.