Charlotte Riddell aka Mrs J.H. Riddell was a one of the most popular and influential writers of the Victorian period. The author of 56 books, novels and short stories, she was also part owner and editor of the St. James's Magazine, one of the most prestigious literary magazines of the 1860s.
The story deals with prophetic dreams and describes a supernatural event that prompts a radical transformation in the central character, an Irish-born London surgeon.