The Argosy, Vol. 51

# Catalog Entry: "The Silent Chimes" (January 1897)

This serial opens with a domestic chronicle concerning the Monk family of Church Leet parish. The narrator relates secondhand accounts of three successive parsons connected to the family. Captain Godfrey Monk, a merchant-service commander aged forty-five, returns to his ancestral home Leet Hall after inheriting from his invalid brother Raymond. Godfrey brings three unruly children and his sister Emma (widowed Mrs. Carradyne) to manage them. The Vicar, Reverend George West—appointed by Raymond just before his death—becomes Godfrey's target of contempt, opposed at every turn. On New Year's Eve, Captain Monk hosts his customary tenant dinner. After excessive drinking, when guests attempt early departure, Monk locks the dining-room door, detaining them until midnight. During the subsequent toasts, a guest remarks upon the absence of church chimes. Monk, increasingly intoxicated, questions why they lack them, directing the question at Mr. West.