Christmas is approaching and it is time for Mr. and Mrs. Brown to leave their Paris hotel and return to the roaring fireplaces of Thompson Hall. Unfortunately, Mr. Brown is taken ill, but nothing will dissuade Mrs. Brown from going home. With efficient, tongue-in-cheek humour, Trollope tells of a nighttime encounter between estranged relatives, resulting in minor injuries and embarrassment. Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) was one of most succesful British authors of the Victorian era. He has written more than forty novels, as well as many short stories and travelogues. Trollope was also an editor and an active member of the London literary scene. Among his most notable works is the series 'The Chronicles of Barsetshire', a series of six novels set in fictional Barsetshire.