What Will He Do with It?

In Short

This novel is a sprawling, atmospheric Victorian drama centered on Guy Darrell, a formidable but emotionally isolated lawyer and politician. Haunted by a tragic family history involving a runaway daughter and a criminal son-in-law, Darrell struggles to reconcile his rigid sense of honor with the messy realities of the people who depend on him. Through a web of coincidences, hidden identities, and long-standing social expectations, the narrative explores the limits of aristocratic pride. It remains a compelling study of how a life built on "rational" detachment eventually collapses under the pressure of hidden truths.

The Story

The narrative follows the intersecting lives of several figures, dominated by the brooding presence of Guy Darrell. Once a brilliant legal mind, Darrell has retreated into a shell of misanthropic professional success, disillusioned by the memory of his daughter, Matilda. Years prior, Matilda eloped with a duplicitous scoundrel named Jasper Losely, causing a rift that never healed. After Matilda’s early death, Darrell attempted to sever all ties to her husband, paying a lump sum to ensure Losely stayed out of his life. However, Jasper Losely—an inveterate gambler and swindler—remains a persistent threat, holding onto secrets that could tarnish Darrell’s reputation.

The plot thickens with the arrival of young Lionel Haughton, a relative and protégé who idolizes Darrell. Lionel’s own history is tied to the legacy of the disgraced William Losely, Jasper’s father, who was once a victim of circumstances and now lives as a "vagabond" with a young granddaughter named Sophy. As Lionel navigates the polite, suffocating world of London society, he encounters Sophy, whose innocent existence stands in stark contrast to the dark machinations of her father, Jasper. The social set, represented by the calculating Colonel Alban Morley and the ambitious Vipont family, seeks to marry Darrell off to a "rational" lady of high standing to secure his political influence. Yet, Darrell remains resistant, his internal world governed by a rigid, punishing code of ethics.

As the story progresses, the connection between Sophy and Darrell becomes the central focus. Jasper Losely attempts to use his own daughter as a pawn to extort money from Darrell, hoping that the girl’s existence will force the proud lawyer to buy his silence. Meanwhile, Lady Montfort, a woman of significant social standing and deep, private connections to Darrell’s past, takes Sophy under her wing. She insists on absolute secrecy, guiding Lionel to keep his involvement with Sophy and her own household hidden from Darrell. The tension mounts as the truth about the girl’s parentage threatens to shatter the fragile, constructed peace of Darrell’s life. Eventually, the facade of aristocratic decorum is stripped away. Darrell is forced to confront whether his wealth and his obsession with "honor" can provide any real solace, or if he must finally accept the human complexity he has spent his life trying to outrun. The resolution sees the characters grappling with the consequences of their pride, as the truth about the "stroller's grandchild" forces a reckoning that changes Darrell’s trajectory forever.

How It Unfolds

The social machinery The story opens by establishing the cold, calculated world of the British elite, where Colonel Alban Morley and Guy Darrell discuss marriage as a transaction rather than an emotional union. They dissect the merits of "rational" young ladies, revealing Darrell’s deep-seated cynicism toward romantic sentiment.

The shadow of the past The narrative shifts to the domestic struggles of Lionel Haughton, who finds himself caught between his loyalty to his benefactor, Darrell, and the unsettling revelations about his own family’s history. Conversations about "vagabonds" and convicts slowly unravel the dark truth of Darrell’s failed family life.

The extortion attempt Jasper Losely emerges as a volatile agent of chaos, using his knowledge of Darrell's past to demand money. His interactions with his crony, Poole, highlight the contrast between his outward "gentlemanly" delusions and his inner corruption.

The secret garden Lady Montfort becomes a pivotal figure, shielding Sophy and demanding that Lionel keep his visits to her home a secret from everyone, especially Darrell. This creates an atmosphere of suspense as the reader waits for the inevitable collision between Darrell’s pride and the girl’s existence.

The final confrontation The climax revolves around the revelation of the truth regarding Sophy’s identity and the moral crisis this forces upon Darrell. He must decide if his disdain for the "child of a felon" outweighs the possibility of genuine connection and redemption.

The People

Guy Darrell is the book’s gravitational center: a man of immense intellectual power who has retreated into a self-imposed exile of the heart. He values "honor" above all else, yet this pride makes him cruel toward those who fail his moral test.

Jasper Losely serves as the antagonist, a man whose charm masks a predatory nature. He is a "fallen gentleman" who uses his family ties to prey on Darrell, constantly seeking to monetize the daughter he abandoned.

Lionel Haughton is the earnest, idealistic bridge between the generations. His journey is one of maturation as he learns that his hero, Darrell, is as flawed as the people he disdains.

Sophy, the "stroller’s grandchild," represents the innocence that the adult characters have long ago discarded. Her presence is the catalyst for the moral awakening of the others.

Lady Montfort acts as a mysterious, sophisticated guardian. Her hidden agenda—to bridge the gap between Darrell’s hardened heart and his potential for redemption—marks her as the novel's most complex and compassionate player.

In Its Own Voice

"Many years since," resumed Darrell, with reflective air, "I read Miss Edgeworth's novels; and in conversing with Miss Honoria Vipont, methinks I confer with one of Miss Edgeworth's heroines--so rational, so prudent, so well-behaved."

Darrell dismisses the prospect of marriage to a woman who possesses only the cold, mechanical virtues of a social ornament.

"There was something in that man, Mr. Darrell, that made one love him--positively love him; and when I had to tell him that I had given up the child he trusted to my charge, and saw his grief, I felt a criminal myself."

The character Hartopp reflects on the humanity of a man who society has labeled a convict, directly challenging Darrell’s unforgiving judgment.

"Comfort in the perpetuation of infamy! The line I promised my father to restore to its rank in the land, to be renewed in the grandchild of a felon!--in the child of the yet viler sharper of a hell!"

Darrell expresses his fierce, agonizing commitment to a family legacy that he believes must be kept free of any taint, even at the cost of his own happiness.

What It's Really About

The central argument concerns the corrosive nature of aristocratic pride and the folly of attempting to regulate the human heart through logic. Darrell believes he can preserve his family’s honor by isolating it from the "base" elements of society, yet the book argues that this very isolation makes his life sterile and miserable. The story repeatedly asks whether "honor" is something earned through blood and status, or whether it is something found in acts of mercy and the acceptance of one’s own fallibility. It is an exploration of the tension between the public persona—the "grandee"—and the private, often ruined, individual who exists behind the mask.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the slow-burn, atmospheric prose of the Victorian era will find much to admire here. The book captures the distinct, rigid social hierarchies of the mid-19th century with great precision, offering a window into a world where reputation was treated as a tangible asset. However, it is not a brisk read; it demands patience for its long, winding dialogues and its preoccupation with the intricate, often frustrating, social codes of its time.

Those who appreciate character-driven dramas about the "stiff upper lip" and the eventual unraveling of that facade will find Darrell a deeply compelling subject. The dialect and archaic social attitudes—particularly regarding marriage, class, and family "legitimacy"—may strike a modern reader as harsh or even alien, but they are essential to the book’s critique of the era. If you are drawn to stories about the weight of legacies and the quiet, agonizing process of self-reckoning, the slow pace will be a small price to pay for the depth of the insight. It is a book that rewards the reader who is willing to sit with a character as he slowly dismantles his own carefully constructed life.