The Pennycomequicks, Volume 3 (of 3)

In Short

Set against the industrial chimneys of Yorkshire and the high mountain passes of Switzerland, this final volume resolves the domestic and financial upheavals of the Pennycomequick family. Following the unexpected resurrection of manufacturing patriarch Jeremiah, his young heir Philip and estranged wife Salome must navigate marital miscommunications, financial ruin, and the predatory schemes of a charming impostor. Rich in period detail, domestic irony, and keen character observation, S. Baring-Gould's novel endures as a compelling study of middle-class rigidity, moral growth, and the quiet resilience required to rebuild a fractured home.

The Story

The volume opens in the shadow of separation and silent grievance. Philip Pennycomequick, a rigid and methodical Yorkshire mill owner, finds himself utterly unable to focus on his factory ledgers after his pale, tearful wife, Salome, departs for the Continent. Left behind in Mergatroyd, Philip agonizes over her vulnerability as a lone female traveler navigating foreign railway stations and cross-Channel steamers. Yet his pride prevents him from reaching out with genuine warmth; his letters to her remain formal, stiff, and confined to clinical updates regarding their infant child.

Meanwhile, financial and domestic panic strikes the wider family back in England. Uncle Jeremiah Pennycomequick, long believed to have drowned, suddenly reappears alive and restored to robust health. His unexpected return throws his sister, Mrs. Sidebottom, and her son, Captain Lambert, into utter consternation, as they face the grim prospect of returning their inherited shares of the family estate and manufacturing business. Jeremiah, having survived a mid-life crisis of vanity and weakness, returns with a newfound leniency toward human frailty. Recognizing the widening breach between Philip and Salome, Jeremiah travels to Mergatroyd, only to find the household in total disarray under Philip’s clumsy management.

Salome, now residing in Switzerland alongside her distressed sister Janet, finds herself drawn into the orbit of Artemisia Durham, a charismatic and sharp-witted American traveler from Chicago. When Philip eventually travels to the Alps to retrieve his wife, his rigid prejudices immediately flare. Distrusting Miss Durham and misinterpreting her intentions, Philip falls victim to her clever manipulations; Artemisia skillfully plays upon his latent insecurities, making him question the narrow, clockwork routine of his industrial life.

The emotional climax unfolds high in the Swiss Alps near the Ober-Alp hospice and Andermatt. Amid density, mountain mists, and foolish excursions in search of edelweiss, personal illusions are shattered. Artemisia’s enigmatic background is unmasked when she impulsively marries the pompous fraud "Colonel" Beaple Yeo—who is actually Janet and Salome’s scoundrel father, Schofield. The wedding collapses into mutual recrimination when Philip reveals Yeo's existing bigamous marriage to a coal-barge woman. Realizing the folly of his pride and the depth of his wife's devotion, Philip reconciles with Salome. The family returns to Yorkshire, where on Christmas Eve, amidst the ringing of the traditional "Devil's Knell," Philip and Salome bury their past misunderstandings and commit to a shared future.

How It Unfolds

A quiet departure Philip watches Salome leave for Switzerland, her departure breaking his rigid routine and leaving him tormented by anxieties over her safety on foreign railways. His distraction at the factory office reveals a deep emotional dependence he is too proud to admit.

The dead return News of Uncle Jeremiah’s survival sending shockwaves through his greedy relatives, particularly Mrs. Sidebottom, who faces the terrifying prospect of surrendering her inherited wealth. Jeremiah returns physically reinvigorated and morally tempered, determined to inspect the wreckage of his estate and his nephew's marriage.

Alpine gathering In the Swiss mountain town of Andermatt, Salome and her sister Janet reunite amidst scenic alpine walks, while the shadowy "Colonel" Beaple Yeo operates as a hotel tout, spinning fraudulent tales of aristocratic lineage to wealthy tourists.

Temptation and fog Philip arrives in Switzerland stiff and defensive, where the enigmatic Artemisia Durham subtly flatters him into recognizing the claustrophobic narrowness of his commercial life. A perilous, disorienting hike through dense mountain mists forces Philip to confront his physical and emotional limitations.

Exposures and homecomings At a roadside inn, false identities unravel when Colonel Yeo and Artemisia marry, only to discover both are penniless schemers; Philip decisively exposes Yeo’s past bigamy. United by shared trials, Philip and Salome return to Mergatroyd, listening to the midnight bells tolling away their past pride.

The People

• Philip Pennycomequick: A conscientious, emotionally repressed Yorkshire mill manager. He desires order, dignity, and domestic peace, but his stiff pride and social awkwardness frequently alienate his wife. By the end, he learns to cast off his rigid self-assurance and embrace emotional honesty.
• Salome Pennycomequick: Philip’s gentle, devoted wife. She seeks love and security for her young child, but is driven away by her husband’s coldness and her own unspoken jealousies. She matures into a grounded protector of her family.
• Jeremiah Pennycomequick: The central patriarch whose foolish fake death tested his heirs. Having survived his own late-in-life crisis of folly, he returns wiser, healthier, and determined to guide his family back to common sense.
• Mrs. Sidebottom: Jeremiah’s pragmatic, domineering half-sister. She wants financial security above all else and reacts to her brother’s resurrection with furious dismay as she scrambles to protect her inherited funds.
• "Colonel" Beaple Yeo (Earle Schofield): Janet and Salome's rogue father, a penniless romantic fraud with an endless appetite for theatrical deception. He seeks wealthy marks to finance his lifestyle, ultimately trapped by his own mendacity.
• Artemisia Durham: An independent, sharp-tongued American traveler from Chicago who uses her charm to needle British class snobbery, only to make a disastrous marital miscalculation.

In Its Own Voice

'Are you aware that you have subscribed that letter twice over, Yours truly, P. Pennycomequick?'

Philip’s clerk points out his employer's total loss of workplace concentration as his thoughts follow his estranged wife across the English Channel.

'I don't know how the law stands, and whether the sentence of the Court of Probate can be reversed; but of one thing I am very sure--that he who has can hold, and tire out those who try to open his hands, if he has any wit.'

Mrs. Sidebottom reacts with characteristic ruthlessness upon learning that her wealthy brother is not actually dead.

'Yes--the Devil is dead, that is to say, the old evil principle in me--my former self-assurance, pride and mistrust--it is dead.'

Philip reflects on his personal reformation as the Christmas Eve church bells echo across the Yorkshire valley.

What It's Really About

At its core, The Pennycomequicks investigates the crippling effect of Victorian respectability and economic materialism on human intimacy. Through Philip’s obsession with office ledgers, crisp collars, and social propriety, Baring-Gould demonstrates how emotional repression transforms routine into a cage. The novel contrasts the artificiality of monetary inheritances with the true worth of marital loyalty and self-knowledge. Jeremiah’s temporary disappearance serves as a crucible, testing whether family bonds are rooted in affection or mere financial expectation. Ultimately, the story argues that true moral maturity requires the painful dismantling of personal pride, allowing forgiveness and community warmth to replace the cold demands of ambition and social standing.

Why Read It Today

The Pennycomequicks offers a delicious, deeply satisfying read for fans of 19th-century domestic fiction who appreciate sharp social satire alongside genuine romance. Readers who enjoy Anthony Trollope’s keen eye for financial maneuvering or George Eliot’s subtle psychological portraiture will find much to admire in Baring-Gould’s witty prose. The novel sparkles when satirizing English tourists abroad, Victorian hotel life, and the absurdities of class snobbery.

Modern readers should be prepared for period-typical pacing, including detailed descriptions of Alpine topography and minor subplots involving minor regional characters. Yet these elements are balanced by brisk comic dialogue and real narrative momentum. What lingers long after the final page is the author's warm humaneness—his affectionate portrait of Yorkshire culture, his nuanced understanding of marital friction, and his reassuring belief that even the stiffest hearts can learn to unbend.