"A deft period tale, somewhat English in flavor, by the always original author of Kneeknock Rise and The Search for Delicious, centers on a birthday cake of a house proudly owned by young Willet Goody's mother, but overhung with the mystery of his father's disappearance. Gothic elements thicken when Hercules Feltwright (of a long line of hatters) comes to tutor the likable lad. The two manage to piece together the answer to a problem which has grown through the years more and more tangled with deceits...In the marvelously evoked atmosphere of a country establishment surrounded by legends of a costumed robber, Mrs. Babbitt moves precisely and lightly to a happy finale. Adults as well as children will be satisfied with this story for reading aloud." --Virginia Haviland, Book World

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