The Story of Antony Grace
1887
Eleven-year-old Antony Grace has just lost both parents, and the world he knew is dissolving into a cold, hostile place. His guardian, the oily lawyer Mr. Blakeford, sees the boy only as an obstacle between himself and Antony\'s inheritance. The house that once held his father's warmth now feels like a prison. Then arrives Mr. Rowle, an eccentric, pipe-smoking stranger who walks into the home uninvited, pokes at furniture with his cane, and speaks in riddles. Yet beneath the man's strange manner lies something unexpected: a protective instinct toward the orphaned child. As Antony navigates grief, manipulation, and the loneliness of his new existence, this unlikely friendship becomes his only anchor. Manville Fenn crafts a story where childhood innocence collides with adult greed, and a boy's quiet resilience is tested by those who should have protected him. It endures because it captures something true about finding light in the darkest moments, and because Antony's voice, with its mix of naivety and hard-won wisdom, stays with you long after the final page.
