Three millions! or, The way of the world

About the book

John Hungerford spends most of his life accumulating money, then devises a will intended to carry his identity into the future. His nephew Eugene receives the income from three million dollars, but possession of the principal depends on his being married by thirty and having a son named John Hungerford. The arrangement transforms ordinary questions of affection and family life into matters watched by people with competing financial interests. Eugene's own principles make the prospect of choosing a wife under such conditions especially uncomfortable. Adams develops the inheritance plot through family histories, social ambition, and questions about the uses of wealth. The dead benefactor's desire for lasting recognition becomes a continuing pressure on people whose lives cannot be reduced to the provisions of a document.

• Inheritance and control
• Marriage and integrity
• Wealth and responsibility

Why read it

The unusually specific will makes the conflict between financial opportunity and personal independence immediately clear.

English Lee and Shepard text; title page dated 1891, with 1866 and 1894 copyright statements