About This Book
A group of childhood subscribers to a tontine see members die over decades until only three remain, among them two brothers with contrasting lives: a prudent elder who led a model English life and a younger, eccentric brother who pursued idle studies and popular lecturing. The narrator sketches their past, the mechanics and social quirks of the tontine, and the younger brother’s penchant for public speeches and lovable incompetence. The story pairs irony and social observation to examine how chance and character shape aging, fortune, and reputations, while building toward the consequences of a scheme that awards the entire fund to the single surviving participant.
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