Project Gutenberg 2008-06-16 Public domain in the USA. 310 Burnett, Frances Hodgson 1849 1924 Townesend, Frances Eliza Hodgson Burnett Hodgson, Frances Eliza In Connection with the De Willoughby Claim E-text prepared by Roger Frank and the Project Gutenberg Online Distributed Proofreading Team "In Connection with the De Willoughby Claim" by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a novel written in the late 19th century. The story focuses on themes of identity, social standing, and duty as it follows the life of Tom D'Willerby, a man who becomes a postmaster in a small town and later adopts a child who has lost her mother. The book explores Tom's journey as he navigates his responsibilities while grappling with feelings of inadequacy and the expectations placed upon him by society. The opening of the novel introduces the setting of Talbot's Cross-roads during a blisteringly hot noon, establishing a sense of languor and the slow pace of life in a rural community. Key characters are introduced, including the indolent Tom D'Willerby, who is celebrated for his laziness and charm. As the chapter progresses, the arrival of a mysterious stranger hints at the unfolding drama, drawing the community's curiosity. The narrative hints at deeper themes of social distinction, loyalty, and the impact of personal choices as characters are set on a collision course toward unfolding events that will change their lives. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 80.5 (6th grade). Easy to read. en United States -- Social life and customs -- 19th century -- Fiction PS Text Browsing: Culture/Civilization/Society Browsing: Literature Browsing: Fiction Category: Novels Category: American Literature 813534 2025-06-10T14:35:07.139390 text/html 866902 2008-06-16T13:30:21 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 300211 2008-06-16T13:31:58 text/html; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 389013 2025-06-10T14:35:21.300327 application/epub+zip 402896 2025-06-10T14:35:11.678334 application/epub+zip 384710 2025-06-10T14:35:09.872372 application/epub+zip 758763 2025-06-10T14:35:28.612283 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 694311 2025-06-10T14:35:19.978297 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 659756 2022-09-12T06:16:24.954320 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 731014 2025-06-10T14:35:05.024338 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 730809 2008-06-16T13:27:35 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 277836 2008-06-16T13:27:35 text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 application/zip 730816 2008-06-16T13:27:35 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 277813 2008-06-16T13:27:35 text/plain; charset=us-ascii application/zip 20519 2025-06-10T14:35:28.776228 application/rdf+xml 17722 2025-06-10T14:35:10.501351 image/jpeg 3910 2025-06-10T14:35:10.190338 image/jpeg 377940 2025-06-10T14:35:07.211370 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia