John Caldigate

But at last it was all told. Caldigate had been declared guilty, and the judge had condemned him to be confined to prison for two years. Judge Bramber had told him that, in his opinion, the jury could have found no other verdict.

Guilty verdict and two-year sentence pivot the gold romance into legal thriller — plot stakes locked — so plot scores 91.

Perhaps it was more the fault of Daniel Caldigate the father than of his son John Caldigate, that they two could not live together in comfort in the days of the young man's early youth.

Father/son named as fault pair before any wife appears — cast as relational engine — so cast scores 89.

There had been something almost approaching to exultation at Babington when the tidings of Caldigate's alleged Australian wife were first heard there. As the anger had been great that Julia should be rejected, so had the family congratulation been almost triumphant when the danger which had been escaped was appreciated.

Side-family exultation after accusation — mid-late dilates social noise around trial — so pace scores 88.

The web of our story has now been woven, the piece is finished, and it is only necessary that the loose threads should be collected, so that there may be no unravelling.

Weaver metaphor as comic closing rhetoric — craftsman prose admitting exposition duty — so prose scores 90.

The Goldfinder had on board her over a hundred first-class passengers, and nearly as many of the second class. The life among them was much of the same kind, though in the second class there was less of idleness, less of pleasure, and something more of an attempt to continue the ordinary industry of life.

Emigrant ship as classed world between Folking and diggings — colonial transit mapped — so world scores 90.

Wherever the fault lay, or the chief fault--for probably there was some on both sides--the misfortune was so great as to bring crushing troubles upon each of them.

Crushing troubles promised from domestic fault — hooks as tragedy of household before gold — so hook scores 88.

Among the male personages of my story, Bagwax should perhaps be allowed to stand first. It was his energy and devotion to his peculiar duties which, after the verdict, served to keep alive the idea that that verdict had been unjust. It was through his ingenuity that Judge Bramber was induced to refer the inquiry back to Scotland Yard.

Postal clerk as post-verdict hero — bigamy novel innovates by making bureaucracy the rescue engine — so innov scores 92.

Then Sir John told the story of those broken hopes, of the man's desire to travel, and of the faith and honesty with which he sacrificed his own aspirations for the good of the poor lady whose husband had been so cruelly taken away from her.

Ending rewards Bagwax's honesty after Caldigate's release arc — justice closed as institutional comedy — so ending scores 89.