A comic rural novel centers on a local dispensary doctor and his relations with the elderly earl of the district as curiosity mounts over a reclusive new tenant who occupies a remote house. The stranger's odd surname, foreign companions, an English servant, and twenty-five heavy packing cases provoke gossip about pianos, machinery, or sculpture. The narrative follows village gossip, the steward's reports, and social encounters as residents speculate about the purpose of the tenant's stay, exposing local manners, class distinctions, and humorous misunderstandings.