What Will He Do with It?

In Short

This expansive Victorian novel traces the collision between Jasper Losely, a charismatic but morally bankrupt predator, and Guy Darrell, a proud, solitary lawyer burdened by a tragic past. As Losely attempts to extort his way into fortune by exploiting family secrets, he is pitted against the protective instincts of those surrounding Darrell’s long-lost granddaughter. The book endures as a masterclass in nineteenth-century character psychology, examining how individual vanity and the rigid pursuit of reputation can ruin lives, while offering a nuanced look at the potential for personal redemption.

The Story

The narrative centers on the volatile Jasper Losely, a man whose life is defined by reckless consumption and a desperate need to dominate. Jasper discovers the whereabouts of his estranged father-in-law, the formidable Guy Darrell—a man of immense wealth and influence who has retreated into a life of scholarly isolation at his ancestral manor. Jasper intends to blackmail Darrell, hoping to leverage a dark secret from the past to secure a fortune. However, his arrival at the estate is marked by an unexpected failure. Despite his physical prowess and aggressive posturing, Jasper finds himself unable to crack the stoic, iron-clad resolve of a man who has already suffered the greatest loss imaginable: the estrangement of his daughter and the subsequent loss of his grandchild.

As Jasper’s scheme falters, the narrative expands to include a wider cast of characters, most notably Arabella Crane, a woman of sharp intellect and grim determination who has long been tethered to Jasper’s orbit. Arabella acts as a dark, guiding shadow, both enabling and thwarting Jasper as she attempts to manage the wreckage of his existence. Simultaneously, we follow the gentle, unassuming Sophy—the granddaughter Darrell does not know is alive—and the devoted, elderly “Waife,” a man of hidden depth who protects the girl from the world’s cruelties.

The arc of the story moves from the quiet, wintry isolation of the countryside into the labyrinthine social structures of London. Jasper’s descent is not merely a fall from grace, but a collapse of his own delusions of grandeur. He attempts to reassert his control through various criminal associations and, ultimately, through a direct confrontation with the woman who has held his secrets for years. Meanwhile, Darrell begins to thaw, moving from a rigid, almost prideful detachment toward a tentative acknowledgment of the human connections he once abandoned. The resolution does not come through the violent triumph Jasper seeks, but through the slow, often painful, reconciliation of past errors. The ending finds the key figures forced into a final reckoning, where the "strong man" is inevitably humbled by his own lack of internal substance, and those who have lived in the shadows are finally brought into a light that demands both accountability and, for some, the grace of forgiveness.

How It Unfolds

The encounter at the gate Jasper approaches the reclusive Guy Darrell at his estate, intending to use an old secret to extort money. He finds himself entirely unable to rattle the older man’s composure, leading to a humiliating rejection that leaves Jasper seething with a need to prove his own power.

The failed heist Jasper attempts a desperate, violent break-in at the manor, hoping to secure his prize through force. He finds his plans ruined by the unexpected vigilance of those around him, forcing him to flee into the night, nursing a wounded ego.

The path of the outcast Jasper wanders the countryside, eventually encountering a former theatrical performer whose own "grand concerns" have ended in ruin. This interaction highlights the shared, pathetic nature of their downward spirals as they navigate the cold, indifferent landscape of Victorian England.

The web tightens The narrative shifts to the intervention of others, including the mysterious Arabella Crane, who is determined to keep Jasper within her reach. The secret of the missing granddaughter begins to surface, creating a tension between the predatory desires of Jasper and the protective efforts of the girl's guardians.

The final confrontation Jasper returns to London, seeking one last desperate score, only to find himself trapped by his own recklessness. The story concludes with his inevitable return to the one person he both fears and relies upon, as the door finally closes on his attempts to escape his own history.

The People

Jasper Losely is the story’s engine of chaos, a man whose "diseased self-love" drives him to treat others as mere pawns. He is defined by a desperate, bullying vanity that withers the moment he is denied the recognition he feels he is owed.

Guy Darrell serves as the moral and social anchor of the book. He is a man who has built a fortress around his grief, viewing the world with a "haughty displeasure" that keeps him safe from further hurt but also keeps him profoundly isolated. Through the plot, he is forced to confront the limits of his own pride.

Arabella Crane is arguably the most complex figure, a "grim woman" whose loyalty to Jasper is matched only by her icy, analytical ability to manipulate him. She is both a victim of her devotion and a master of the circumstances surrounding him.

The elderly Waife represents the antithesis of Jasper’s philosophy. He is a man who has learned the hard way that "sin itself needs compassion," and his quiet, self-sacrificing love for his granddaughter serves as the necessary counterweight to the cold, transactional nature of the other characters.

In Its Own Voice

"I revoke every offer to aid a life that has existed but to darken and desolate those it was permitted to approach."

Darrell declares this to Jasper, cutting off the last of his support after realizing the extent of Jasper's malice.

"Genius is bound to be indulgent. It should know human errors so well--has, with its large luminous forces, such errors itself when it deigns to be human, that, where others may scorn, genius should only pity."

This observation, delivered to Darrell, challenges the prideful lawyer to look beyond his own rigid code of honor.

"The step of Violence, it may be of Murder, takes its stealthy way to the room of the childless man!"

This passage captures the suspense of the break-in, framing the intrusion as a symbolic assault on Darrell’s lonely, unfulfilled life.

What It's Really About

The book explores the tension between self-interest and moral duty, specifically asking whether a life defined by vanity and crime can ever be redeemed. It functions as a critique of the Victorian obsession with reputation, suggesting that the "scorn of the good" can be just as destructive as the malice of the wicked. At its heart, the narrative grapples with the weight of the past—how secrets, once planted, dictate the future, and whether pride or pity is the more effective tool for navigating human relationships. It asks if a man like Darrell can find peace, and if a man like Losely can ever be anything other than a "bravo" in his own tragedy.

Why Read It Today

Readers who enjoy the slow, deliberate character studies found in Dickens or Thackeray will find much to admire here. The prose is rich and occasionally demanding, characterized by a Victorian precision that takes its time to unspool the internal lives of its protagonists. The book does not shy away from the darker aspects of the human condition; it is unflinching in its portrayal of social outcasts, the desperation of the poor, and the coldness of the elite.

However, modern readers should be prepared for the book’s length and its reliance on the dramatic, often stilted rhetoric typical of the mid-nineteenth century. The dialogue, while insightful, can be dense, and the period attitudes toward gender and class are woven into the very fabric of the social interactions. Yet, there is a rewarding psychological acuity in how the characters navigate their own failings. If you appreciate fiction that values the slow reveal of secrets and the subtle shifting of a character’s moral compass, you will find this a deeply thoughtful experience. It is a book that stays with you, not because of its plot twists, but because of the haunting, human question it poses: what do we owe to the people we have most deeply harmed?