‘Mr Marmaduke and the Minister’–a ‘Little Novel’ by Wilkie Collins

When a lost traveller seeks refuge at a remote Scottish manse during a violent storm, he little imagines how his life is about to change. Marmaduke Falmer falls seriously ill and is nursed back to health by Felicia, the minister's daughter. The two fall in love and marry, but their happiness is soon overshadowed by Marmaduke's mysterious behaviour. His unexplained absences, a locked room, and the appearance of a strange woman leave Felicia fearing that her husband is concealing a troubling secret.

‘Little Novels’, published in 1887, is a collection of fourteen short stories by Wilkie Collins. Revised by the author, these stories had appeared in various British and American periodicals over the previous ten years, very often with different titles. They are stand-alone stories dealing with a variety of subjects: love, marriage, the supernatural, class, money, and murder; most of them contain a mystery or twist to the tale which is bound to delight fans of Collins' best-known novels, ‘The Woman in White’ and ‘The Moonstone’.

‘Mr Marmaduke and the Minister’ is the tenth story in the collection. This satirical tale was originally published as ‘The Mystery of Marmaduke’ in ‘The Spirit of the Times’ on 28 December 1878, and in ‘Temple Bar’ in January 1879.