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Devlin the Barber
Excerpt from Devlin the Barber
Mr. Melladew is a reader in a printing-office in which a weekly newspaper is printed. Mrs. Melladew, with the assistance of one small servant, manages the home. They had two daughters, twins, eighteen years of age, named respectively Mary and Elizabeth. These girls were very beautiful, and were so much alike that they were frequently mistaken for one another. Mrs. Melladew has told me that when they were very young she was compelled to make some distinguishing mark in their dress to avoid confusion in her recognition of them, such as differently coloured socks or pieces of ribbon. The home of the Melladews was a happy one, and the sisters loved each other sincerely. They were both in outdoor employment, in the establish ments of a general linendraper and a fashionable dressmaker. Mary was in the employment of the linendraper - Limbird's, in Regent Street. It is a firm of wide repute, and employs a great number of hands, some of whom sleep in the house. This was the case with Mary Melladew, who went to her work on Monday morning and did not return home until Saturday night. Elizabeth, or Lizzie as she was always called, was employed by Madame Michel, in Baker Street. She went to her work at half-past eight every morning and returned home at half-past seven every night.
The printing-office in which Mr. Melladew is engaged employs two readers, a night reader and a day reader. Mr. Melladew is the day reader, his hours being from nine in the morning till seven in the evening. But on Satur days he has a much longer spell; he is due in the office at eight in the morning, and he remains until two or three hours past midnight - a stretch of eighteen or nineteen hours. By that time all the work for the Sunday edition of the weekly newspaper is done, and the outside pages are being worked off on the steam presses.
Mr. Melladew is a reader in a printing-office in which a weekly newspaper is printed. Mrs. Melladew, with the assistance of one small servant, manages the home. They had two daughters, twins, eighteen years of age, named respectively Mary and Elizabeth. These girls were very beautiful, and were so much alike that they were frequently mistaken for one another. Mrs. Melladew has told me that when they were very young she was compelled to make some distinguishing mark in their dress to avoid confusion in her recognition of them, such as differently coloured socks or pieces of ribbon. The home of the Melladews was a happy one, and the sisters loved each other sincerely. They were both in outdoor employment, in the establish ments of a general linendraper and a fashionable dressmaker. Mary was in the employment of the linendraper - Limbird's, in Regent Street. It is a firm of wide repute, and employs a great number of hands, some of whom sleep in the house. This was the case with Mary Melladew, who went to her work on Monday morning and did not return home until Saturday night. Elizabeth, or Lizzie as she was always called, was employed by Madame Michel, in Baker Street. She went to her work at half-past eight every morning and returned home at half-past seven every night.
The printing-office in which Mr. Melladew is engaged employs two readers, a night reader and a day reader. Mr. Melladew is the day reader, his hours being from nine in the morning till seven in the evening. But on Satur days he has a much longer spell; he is due in the office at eight in the morning, and he remains until two or three hours past midnight - a stretch of eighteen or nineteen hours. By that time all the work for the Sunday edition of the weekly newspaper is done, and the outside pages are being worked off on the steam presses.
199 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1888
12 people want to read
About the author
Benjamin Leopold Farjeon
169 books7 followersFather of J. Jefferson Farjeon, Herbert Farjeon, and Eleanor Farjeon.
Farjeon was born in London, the second son of a poor Orthodox Jewish family, and grew up in Whitechapel. He received no formal secular education, but at fourteen began training as a printer at a newspaper office. He came to Australia in 1854 and spent seven years on the goldfields, and then left to settle in New Zealand, where he established a successful literary career, before ultimately returning to England in 1868. Farjeon produced countless popular novels, many with mystery and adventure themes that drew on his colonial experiences, as well as plays, burlesques, short fiction and journalism. Grif: A Story of Australian Life (1866) was the most popular of his novels set in Australia. Originally published in New Zealand, it was later dramatised for the theatre and also reprinted in Australia, America and London several times.
Farjeon was born in London, the second son of a poor Orthodox Jewish family, and grew up in Whitechapel. He received no formal secular education, but at fourteen began training as a printer at a newspaper office. He came to Australia in 1854 and spent seven years on the goldfields, and then left to settle in New Zealand, where he established a successful literary career, before ultimately returning to England in 1868. Farjeon produced countless popular novels, many with mystery and adventure themes that drew on his colonial experiences, as well as plays, burlesques, short fiction and journalism. Grif: A Story of Australian Life (1866) was the most popular of his novels set in Australia. Originally published in New Zealand, it was later dramatised for the theatre and also reprinted in Australia, America and London several times.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 20, 2017
It's like a 3.7 rounded up
While this book is by no means great, I seriously do not get the low, low ratings here. Two stars???? Sheesh!! It is in every sense of the word as different from contemporary Victorian crime as it can possibly be, and while I'm going to have to do some digging, it may just be a very early novel in the area of "psychic detectives." Considering it was written in the 1880s, it would be very early indeed. But most of all, it was just plain fun, a murder mystery with a seriously-unexpected twist, and was published in the same year that the Ripper murders began, which I do not think was coincidental given the nature of the crime.
It's also a tough book to explain so you can glean a bit more at my reading journal here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2017/12/...
While this book is by no means great, I seriously do not get the low, low ratings here. Two stars???? Sheesh!! It is in every sense of the word as different from contemporary Victorian crime as it can possibly be, and while I'm going to have to do some digging, it may just be a very early novel in the area of "psychic detectives." Considering it was written in the 1880s, it would be very early indeed. But most of all, it was just plain fun, a murder mystery with a seriously-unexpected twist, and was published in the same year that the Ripper murders began, which I do not think was coincidental given the nature of the crime.
It's also a tough book to explain so you can glean a bit more at my reading journal here:
http://www.crimesegments.com/2017/12/...
September 17, 2016
Sensation Novel featuring a mystery with paranormal elements. Mr. Devlin is a most unusual barber! A quick, entertaining read. Can be read for free at Project Gutenberg: http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/53044
July 9, 2017
This was an audio book from LibriVox.
http://librivox.org/devlin-the-barber...
http://librivox.org/devlin-the-barber...
August 26, 2017
Psychic mind reader solves crimes. Narrated by Lee Smalley.
Librivox and Gutenberg have free copies
Librivox and Gutenberg have free copies
July 28, 2020
Entertaining with a very unusual character.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews