The breach of trust: or, The professor and possessor of piety: Classic Book Guide and Free Edition
The breach of trust: or, The professor and possessor of piety: author and translator credits, catalogue synopsis, subjects and links to the Gutenberg reading formats.
The breach of trust: or, The professor and possessor of piety is catalogued by Project Gutenberg with author credits for Leslie, Madeline (1815–1893).
Catalogue synopsis
Project Gutenberg supplies this automated synopsis of the opening text:
The Breach of Trust; or, The Professor and Possessor of Piety by Madeline Leslie is a moral domestic novel written in the late 19th century. It contrasts hollow “professions” of religion with genuine Christian character through the fortunes of siblings Helen and Frank Edmond, who fall under the guardianship of the vain, self-promoting merchant Monson P. Tracy. The story probes hypocrisy, charity, and fiduciary abuse, set against New England parsonage life and a tender, emerging attachment within the pastor’s family. The opening of the novel introduces Monson P. Tracy, a self-assured “professor of religion” who craves public praise yet withholds kindness, and contrasts him with his dying benefactor, the truly pious Roswell Edmond, who entrusts his children to Tracy’s care. A retrospective traces Tracy’s rise from destitute boy aided by Edmond to ambitious merchant, while the present follows Helen’s growing alarm at Tracy’s hypocrisy and his son Roswell’s calculated pursuit, alongside her compassion for a poor seamstress, Sarah Barrows, whom Tracy had wronged. With help from allies like the pastor Mr. Knowles and the merchant McKinstry, Helen raises funds to rescue Sarah, rebuffs Tracy’s interference in her visitors, and ultimately rejects Roswell’s proposal, after which she and Frank resettle near their country home. There they find calmer footing under the pastor’s wing, deepen ties with his son Frederic, take up study and charity among mill families, and the section closes on a dramatic rescue as Frederic saves Helen from a mad dog.
Book and edition facts
- Title: The breach of trust: or, The professor and possessor of piety
- Author credits: Leslie, Madeline (1815–1893)
- Catalogue language: English
Catalogue subjects
- Piety -- Juvenile fiction
Gutenberg collections
- Category: American Literature
- Category: Novels
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Source notes
Catalogue metadata is public domain and is supplied through Gutendex, which imports Gutenberg's machine-readable catalogue. The automated synopsis is source-supplied, not an independently verified review. Author dates above describe the credited people; no ebook release date is presented as the book's original publication date.
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