Old Mole / Being the Surprising Adventures in England of Herbert Jocelyn Beenham, M.A., Sometime Sixth-Form Master at Thrigsby Grammar School in the County of Lancaster

A provincial schoolmaster, Herbert Jocelyn Beenham—nicknamed Old Mole—has spent decades teaching at a small grammar school, content in routine until a collapse from a caravan forces convalescence in a theatrical lodging and rekindles memories of university and a young woman named Matilda. The narrative follows his subsequent misadventures through marriage, interludes with theatrical and social circles, and phases of engagement and withdrawal. Presented in distinct sections, the work mixes satire and comic observation with introspective reflection, exploring the tension between settled habit and fleeting aspirations as the protagonist confronts change, desire, and the limits of provincial life.