The Best Man

A series of four short narratives centers first on a lawyer, Carrington, who uncovers documentary proof of a large-scale financial fraud orchestrated by a powerful financier who is the father of the woman he loves, and faces a wrenching choice between exposing the crime and preserving personal ties. Three subsequent stories vary tone and setting: a tale of electoral rivalry, a comic or mysterious account of the arrival of a slippery newcomer named Mr. Shifty Sullivan, and a drama of affection between a girl and a poet. Across the pieces the author examines conscience, social ambition, and the complications of love.