Benjamin Farjeon was an Anglo-Jewish writer known for his staggering literary output. He produced dozens of lengthy novels over the course of his career, as well as plays, stories, and essays. The novel Miser Farebrother is a thoroughly entertaining account of a brazen beggar who takes up residence in a stately country manor and lives there rent-free for years.

This chilling tale of the supernatural from Jerome K. Jerome centers around a wicked, curmudgeonly businessman who has an encounter with a mysterious visitor who takes the form of a humble peddler — and who offers Nicholas a remarkable proposition.