📖 About This Book · Ovington's Bank - by Stanley J. Weyman
First published in London in 1922 by John Murray
Setting: Aldersbury, 1825 – the speculative mania before the financial panic.
Key Themes: class and social mobility · financial speculation · integrity vs. ambition · love and sacrifice.
Major Characters: Arthur Bourdillon (ambitious, charming) · Clement Ovington (honest, nature-loving) · Josina Griffin (the Squire's daughter) · Squire Griffin (proud, blind) · Charles Ovington (self-made banker) · Rodd (loyal cashier).
Plot Arc: The novel follows the rise and fall of a speculative bank, interwoven with a romantic plot. Arthur's ambition leads him to fraud; Clement's honesty redeems him; the Squire's pride is humbled; love triumphs over prejudice.
Summary
- The Squire, though still blind and weak, is indomitable. He clings to his keys and his bag of gold as symbols of authority. His recovery is remarkable, but he is changed, he reverts to older, rougher speech and is more dependent on others.
- Arthur has been restored to full favour. He rules the house "as a master," supplanting Josina in the Squire's affections. He is now the Squire's confidant and heir-in-waiting.
- The Squire asks Arthur to sell India Stock to pay the mortgage to pay Arthur the 5000 Pounds which will make Arthur a partner in Ovington's bank.
- Arthur hesitates between the bank and Garth. He considers giving up the bank and waiting for the Squire's death, but he is not sure he wants Josina and the Squire might live for years.
- He consults Dr. Farmer about the Squire's life expectancy. The doctor confirms the Squire is tough and may live for years. Arthur decides to pursue both the bank and Garth.
Analysis
- The Squire's Decline: His physical decline mirrors the decline of the old order. He is still proud, but he is dependent on Arthur.
- Arthur's Usurpation: Arthur has taken over the role of son and heir, supplanting Josina. He rules the house "as a master."
- Arthur's Calculation: His consultation with Dr. Farmer is cold-blooded. He is calculating the odds of the Squire's death, not acting out of concern.
- The Fading Heiress: Josina is marginalised, spending too much time in her room. She has been supplanted by Arthur.
A tester is the framework or canopy at the top of a four-poster bed that supports the curtains and drapery.
The Squire hides his bag of gold "between pillow and tester" because he is blind and can feel it there. It is a symbol of his vulnerability and his desperate need for control.
Bouleversement is a French word meaning a complete upset, overturning, or violent change.
IThe word also has a slightly theatrical quality—it suggests a dramatic plot twist in a play.
To "put someone's nose out of joint" means to displace them, to take away their position or influence, and to make them feel slighted.
"Waiting for dead men's shoes" means waiting for someone to die in order to inherit their position, wealth, or property.
A lease for lives was a common form of land tenure in England, where a tenant held a property for the duration of the lives of one or more specified individuals.
The lease would name specific people—often the tenant, their spouse, or children—and the lease would continue until all of those named individuals had died. A "lease for three lives" was the most common form.
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