02208cam a22003133u 450000100060000000300070000600500170001300600020003000700050003200800410003704000110007804100170008905000070010610000490011324500200016226400510018230000470023333600260028033700260030633800360033250000310036850801930039952010700059253400700166265300360173285600640176885600430183299900190187568040UtSlPG20260610134554.0mcr n260607r20221879utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d  aUtSlPG 7aen2iso639-1 4aPR1 aBraddon, M. E.q(Mary Elizabeth),d1835-191513aAn open verdict 1aSalt Lake City, UT :bProject Gutenberg,c2022  a1 online resource :bmultiple file formats  atextbtxt2rdacontent  acomputerbc2rdamedia  aonline resourcebcr2rdacarrier  aRelease date is 2022-05-10  aDavid Edwards, Eleni Christofaki and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)  a"An Open Verdict: A Novel" by M. E. Braddon is a fictional work written in the late 19th century. The novel is set in an English village and centers around the romantic entanglements and societal expectations faced by its characters, particularly Bella Scratchell, who grapples with the choice of marrying the wealthy but unsavory Mr. Piper or risking her family's financial security.  The opening of this volume introduces Bella and her family, showcasing her father's insistence on her marriage to Mr. Piper due to his substantial fortune. Bella is torn between the societal pressures of securing a comfortable life for her family and her own feelings, which lead her to reject Mr. Piper initially. As tensions rise within the Scratchell household regarding Bella's decision, a dynamic character in Mrs. Dulcimer advocates for her, asserting that the marriage would be advantageous for Bella and her family. This tension sets the stage for the exploration of choices, love, and social status as the narrative unfolds. (This is an automatically generated summary.)  pOriginally published:cUnited Kingdom: John Maxwell and Co., 1879  aEnglish fiction -- 19th century4 uhttps://archive.org/details/openverdictnovel03brad/mode/2up40uhttps://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/68040  c108862d108862