Classic fiction

The Warden

by Anthony Trollope

Reverend Septimus Harding serves as warden of a charitable hospital funded by a centuries-old bequest, enjoying an income that reformers argue should belong more fully to the poor men in his care. Journalist John Bold raises the challenge despite loving Harding's daughter, while Archdeacon Grantly insists that surrender would endanger the church's authority. Harding's conscience becomes the quiet center of a public dispute driven by people far more comfortable with combat than he is. Gentle, thoughtful, and sharply observant, this short novel suits reflective readers interested in institutional ethics, press campaigns, personal integrity, and a good man deciding whether legality is enough to make a benefit just.