Chapter 11 Summary

The author begins the chapter by saying that she is about to end the story. There are many occurrences in the lives of the characters which she will not mention, asking the reader to color in the balance in his own mind. The author revisits the happiness of Christmas Day at the Howth farmhouse, with Margret allowing Holmes to tell her parents of their new engagement. Mr. Howth is overjoyed, but Mrs. Howth must excuse herself from the others to collect her thoughts.

Later that night, Joel, who works for the Howths, tells Mrs. Howth that oil has been discovered on the Howth property in an area where he and Mr. Howth have been working. Mr. Howth had already retired for the evening, so Mrs. Howth will not disturb him. It does not immediately register with her why Joel is so excited about...