📅 Timeline of Events
Key events are listed chapter by chapter, with dates where given in the text.
Chapter I
- Market Day: The novel opens in Aldersbury. Arthur meets Ovington's coach.
- Afternoon: Board meeting at Ovington's Bank to discuss the Valleys Steam Railroad.
- Evening: Ovington hints at a future partnership for Arthur.
Chapter II
- Evening: Arthur returns home to Garthmyle. He and his mother discuss the squire's offer to become a clergyman.
- Evening:Clement rides back to Aldersbury.
Chapter III
- Sunday Morning: Clement's thoughts turn to Josina. He feels trapped in banking.
- Night: Clement is scolded by his father for neglecting the bank. He proposes to go into farming, but Ovington refuses to set him up.
Chapter IV
- Sunday: Arthur goes to church at Garthmyle and sits in the Squire's pew.
- Afternoon: The Squire confronts Arthur about his choice of career.
Chapter V
- Monday: Ovington visits the Squire at Garth to propose the railroad. He is refused.
- Evening: Ovington offers Arthur a partnership in the bank.
Chapter VI
- Afternoon: Clement and Josina meet by the brook. A gun accident brings them together.
Chapter VII
- Ongoing: Josina begins secretly meeting Clement. Arthur pressures his mother for money.
- Easter: Arthur goes to London on bank business.
Chapter VIII
- April: Arthur returns from London. The railroad subscription list opens.
- Afternoon: Arthur signs partnership articles with Ovington. Rodd warns of danger.
Chapter IX
- Monday: The Squire receives Mrs. Bourdillon's letter demanding repayment of the mortgage.
- Later: Thomas the groom confronts the Squire; the Squire gives him notice.
Chapter X
- Spring: Clement and Josina meet at the stile. Clement resolves to see the Squire.
Chapter XI
- Monday Morning: Clement tries to speak to the Squire on the road but is rebuffed.
Chapter XII
- Monday Evening: The Squire withdraws £476 in gold from Ovington's. He is robbed by Thomas on the road home.
- Night: Clement fights off Thomas and saves the Squire. Arthur arrives later.
Chapter XIII
- Tuesday: Rodd warns Ovington about the bank's overextension.
- Evening: Betty defends Rodd against Arthur's contempt.
Chapter XIV
- Monday Night: Clement chases Thomas. He recovers the gold but Arthur takes it to Garth.
Chapter XV
- Monday Night: Josina waits anxiously for her father. The Squire is brought home.
- Tuesday: Arthur tells Josina a version of events that minimises Clement's role.
Chapter XVI
- Tuesday/Wednesday: Clement travels to London in pursuit of Thomas.
- Wednesday: He tracks Thomas to Altrincham and Manchester.
Chapter XVII
- Wednesday: Clement recovers the Squire's money in Manchester. He returns to Aldersbury.
- Later: Arthur takes the recovered money to Garth, taking full credit.
Chapter XVIII
- Ongoing: The Squire recovers from his injuries. Arthur becomes his favourite.
- June: Arthur's mother's money is paid into the bank. Arthur hesitates about his future.
Chapter XIX
- Summer 1825: The speculative mania reaches its peak. Ovington's bank issues more notes.
- Ongoing: Arthur's relationship with Clement and Betty grows strained.
Chapter XX
- Late Summer: Arthur discovers the Squire's hidden cupboards and the India Stock certificates.
- Autumn: Arthur and the Squire discuss the mortgage. Arthur asks Josina to marry him.
Chapter XXI
- Autumn 1825: The first signs of financial panic appear.
- Later: Josina meets Clement at the bridge and asks him to wait.
Chapter XXII
- November: Ovington refuses to discount Wolley's bills. The crisis deepens.
- Evening: Ovington tells Arthur and Clement the bank may face a run.
Chapter XXIII
- Day after: Arthur asks the Squire for Josina's hand. The Squire gives permission.
- Same day: Arthur proposes to Josina, who refuses him.
Chapter XXIV
- Friday: Ovington returns from London, having failed to raise funds.
- Evening: He tells Arthur and Clement that the bank is in grave danger.
Chapter XXV
- Sunday: The Squire and Josina walk up the hill. He tells her to hold the land.
- Later: Josina refuses to marry Arthur.
Chapter XXVI
- December: The financial panic spreads. Acherley threatens Ovington.
- Evening: Ovington contemplates ruin. Betty comforts him.
Chapter XXVII
- Saturday Evening: Arthur fraudulently obtains the Squire's signature on a transfer of India Stock.
- Later: He steals the certificates and prepares to flee to London.
Chapter XXVIII
- Sunday: Clement comes to say goodbye to Josina. She refuses to release him.
- Afternoon: She sees the bloodstain on his coat and realises he saved her father.
Chapter XXIX
- Monday Morning: Josina confesses everything to her father. He is enraged.
- Later: She asks him to help the bank. He refuses.
Chapter XXX
- Monday Afternoon: The Squire discovers the India Stock certificates are missing.
- Evening: He realises Arthur has robbed him.
Chapter XXXI
- Monday Evening: Clement is called to Garth. The Squire tells him of Arthur's forgery.
- Night: Clement promises to recover the money and save Arthur if possible.
Chapter XXXII
- Monday Night: Clement returns to Aldersbury and tells his father the truth.
- Late: Ovington chooses honesty over survival. Clement leaves for London.
Chapter XXXIII
- Monday Night – Tuesday: Clement posts to London, battling delays and exhaustion.
Chapter XXXIV
- Tuesday: Clement arrives in London. He witnesses the panic in the City.
- Noon: He sees the human cost of the crisis.
Chapter XXXV
- Tuesday: Clement confronts Arthur at the India House and recovers the money.
- Afternoon: Arthur agrees to return with him. They travel back together.
Chapter XXXVI
- Tuesday: A run on Ovington's bank begins in Aldersbury.
- All Day: Rodd manages the panic with calm. He secretly pays in his own money.
- Evening: Ovington discovers Rodd's loyalty.
Chapter XXXVII
- Tuesday/Wednesday: The Squire is broken by Arthur's betrayal. Calamy describes the spreading panic.
- Wednesday: Mrs. Bourdillon visits Josina, anxious about Arthur.
Chapter XXXVIII
- Wednesday: Clement returns to Garth with the recovered money.
- Afternoon: The Squire receives the money. He is suspicious but signs a receipt.
Chapter XXXIX
- Wednesday: Sir Charles Woosenham seeks the Squire's advice. They travel to Aldersbury together.
- Midday: The run on Ovington's reaches its peak.
Chapter XL
- Wednesday: The Squire intervenes, saving the bank.
- Afternoon: The run ends. Betty becomes engaged to Rodd.
Chapter XLI
- Wednesday Evening: Arthur flees to his mother's cottage.
- Thursday Morning: He meets Josina, who reveals she knows the truth. He flees.
Chapter XLII
- December – February: The Squire wrestles with his pride.
- February: Clement comes to repay the loan. The Squire gives his consent.
- Evening: Josina embraces her father. The novel ends.
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