A Visit to the Elephant

On a tranquil autumn morning, Mr. Elmer and his faithful servant Alan set out to take the children to a traveling menagerie, where a magnificent elephant becomes the day's great wonder. Alan, who remembers elephants from India as creatures of unusual intelligence, dignity, and gentleness, helps frame the visit as both a delight and a lesson in the marvels of creation. The scene reflects a household marked by Christian feeling, mutual affection, and respect across rank, while also opening onto a larger story of loss, loyalty, and adventure. Henry Elmer's childhood is shaped by separation and surrogate love: after his father leaves for India, his mother entrusts him to Mrs. Thomson in Scotland, who raises him tenderly alongside her son Alan. Though Henry's parents are later lost in a shipwreck, the boys grow up as brothers in all but name, their friendship surviving education, distance, and Henry's eventual journey to India with Alan at his side. The narrative later returns to England, where Henry lives quietly near his married daughter, Mrs. Monson, whose patient care makes her the ideal mother. Against this warm domestic backdrop, the elephant's training, memory, obedience, and comic curiosity provide a final blend of wonder, instruction, and charm. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.