The Legacy of Cain

Eunice and Helena are sisters brought up by their father, the Reverend Abel Gracedieu. They grow up quietly and happily, until some dark secrets about their past come to light. One of the daughters is adopted: her mother was executed for murdering her husband. When the murdered husband's mistress and brother both enter the picture, a series of events is set into motion to finally reveal the truth. Which of the two young women must confront her difficult heritage?


By : Wilkie Collins (1824 - 1889)

01 - Chapter I - The Governor Explains



02 - Chapter II - The Murderess Asks Questions



03 - Chapter III - The Child Appears



04 - Chapter IV - The Minister Says Yes



05 - Chapter V - Miss Chance Asserts Herself



06 - Chapter VI - The Doctor Doubts



07 - Chapter VII - The Murderess Consults the Authorities



08 - Chapter VIII - The Minister Says Good-By



09 - Chapter IX - The Governor Receives a Visit



10 - Chapter X - Miss Chance Reappears



11 - Chapter XI - Helena's Diary



12 - Chapter XII - Eunice's Diary



13 - Chapter XIII - Eunice's Diary



14 - Chapter XIV - Helena's Diary



15 - Chapter XV - Helena's Diary



16 - Chapter XVI - Helena's Diary



17 - Chapter XVII - Helena's Diary



18 - Chapter XVIII - Eunice's Diary



19 - Chapter XIX - Eunice's Diary



20 - Chapter XX - Eunice's Diary



21 - Chapter XXI - Helena's Diary



22 - Chapter XXII - Eunice's Diary



23 - Chapter XXIII - Eunice's Diary



24 - Chapter XXIV - Eunice's Diary



25 - Chapter XXV - Helena's Diary



26 - Chapter XXVI - Helena's Diary



27 - Chapter XXVII - Eunice's Diary



28 - Chapter XXVIII - Helena's Diary



29 - Chapter XXIX - Helena's Diary



30 - Chapter XXX - Eunice's Diary



31 - Chapter XXXI - Eunice's Diary



32 - Chapter XXXII - The Middle-Aged Lady



33 - Chapter XXXIII - The Minister's Misfortune



34 - Chapter XXXIV - The Lively Old Maid



35 - Chapter XXXV - The Future Looks Gloomy



36 - Chapter XXXVI - The Wandering Mind



37 - Chapter XXXVII - The Shameless Sister



38 - Chapter XXXVIII - The Girls' Ages



39 - Chapter XXXIX - The Adopted Child



40 - Chapter XL - The Bruised Heart



41 - Chapter XLI - The Whispering Voice



42 - Chapter XLII - The Quaint Philosopher



43 - Chapter XLIII - The Masterful Masseuse



44 - Chapter XLIV - The Resurrection of the Past



45 - Chapter XLV - The Fatal Portrait



46 - Chapter XLVI - The Cumbersome Ladies



47 - Chapter XLVII - The Journey to the Farm



48 - Chapter XLVIII - The Decision of Eunice



49 - Chapter XLIX - The Governor on His Guard



50 - Chapter L - The News from the Farm



51 - Chapter LI - The Triumph of Mrs. Tenbruggen



52 - Chapter LII - Helena's Diary Resumed



53 - Chapter LIII - Helena's Diary Resumed



54 - Chapter LIV - Helena's Diary Resumed



55 - Chapter LV - Helena's Diary Resumed



56 - Chapter LVI - Helena's Diary Resumed



57 - Chapter LVII - Helena's Diary Resumed



58 - Chapter LVIII - Danger



59 - Chapter LIX - Defense



60 - Chapter LX - Discovery



61 - Chapter LXI - Atrocity



62 - Chapter LXII - The Sentence Pronounced



63 - Chapter LXIII - The Obstacle Removed



64 - Chapter LXIV - The Truth Triumphant



65 - Postscript


At the request of a person who has claims on me that I must not disown, I consent to look back through a long interval of years and to describe events which took place within the walls of an English prison during the earlier period of my appointment as Governor.

Viewing my task by the light which later experience casts on it, I think I shall act wisely by exercising some control over the freedom of my pen.

I propose to pass over in silence the name of the town in which is situated the prison once confided to my care. I shall observe a similar discretion in alluding to individuals—some dead, some living, at the present time.

Being obliged to write of a woman who deservedly suffered the extreme penalty of the law, I think she will be sufficiently identified if I call her The Prisoner. Of the four persons present on the evening before her execution three may be distinguished one from the other by allusion to their vocations in life. I here introduce them as The Chaplain, The Minister, and The Doctor. The fourth was a young woman. She has no claim on my consideration; and, when she is mentioned, her name may appear. If these reserves excite suspicion, I declare beforehand that they influence in no way the sense of responsibility which commands an honest man to speak the truth.

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