When he starts to make mention of the boy's soldier father David, Tolly quickly points he has only been reported missing in action and not confirmed dead.

His grandmother, Mrs. Oldknow, disapproved of her son's marriage and once, out of anger, wrote a meanly worded letter viewing his wife as a commoner.

The next day, as he is climbing a tree, he hears a girl and an adolescent boy giggling and finds an old spur hidden in a hollow.

Butler John Caxton, wary of the African boy Jacob that Captain Oldknow brought home as a companion, as he had stowed away on his ship to avoid being sold at auction.

Exciting events include a terrible fire, a tale of stolen jewels, and threats of the servant Fred being sold into a press gang.

[2] Henry Fitzherbert of the Daily Express praised the actors' performances, particularly Smith's, and noted that it "casts a magical spell by the touching conclusion".