Elizabeth Cleghorn Gaskell was an English novelist, biographer, and short story writer. This volume contains three beautifully written novels set in England. Cousin Phillis is a novel about 19-year-old Paul Manning, who moves to the country and befriends his mother's family and his cousin Phillis Holman. Cranford is a story of adventures of Miss Matty and Miss Deborah, two middle-aged sisters striving to live with dignity in reduced circumstances. Through a series of vignettes, Elizabeth Gaskell portrays a community governed by old-fashioned habits. "A Dark Night's Work" turns on concealed crime and a false accusation of murder. The secret goes unknown for about 15 years until the body is dug up during the construction of a railroad.