Publisher's Synopsis
Gamaliel Pickle is the son of a prosperous London merchant who bequeaths his son a fortune of no small degree. Later, having lost a part of his inheritance in several unsuccessful ventures of his own, Gamaliel prudently decides to retire from business and to live on the interest of his fortune rather than risk his principal in the uncertainties of trade. With his sister Grizzle, who kept his house for him since his father's death, he goes to live in a mansion in the country. In the region to which he retires, Gamaliel's nearest neighbor is Commodore Hawser Trunnion, an old sea dog who keeps his house like a seagoing ship and who possesses an endless list of quarterdeck oaths to be used on any occasion against anyone who offends him. Other members of his household are Lieutenant Hatchway, a one-legged veteran, and a seaman named Tom Pipes.
