The Mischief-Maker

"The Mischief-Maker" by E. Phillips Oppenheim is a novel set in the early 1900s that starts with a scene of illness and fading hope, specifically in the garden of a hospital where a young woman named Lucie is dying from tuberculosis. The book introduces themes of love, loss and selfishness, and then introduces Madame Christophor, who is set on reuniting Lucie with her former lover Eugène. Lucie believes Eugène has left her, which builds suspense and conflict around love and duty. The introduction includes Monsieur Estermen, who declines to visit the sick girl and reveals the selfishness and moral questions that drive the narrative. In this context, Oppenheim lays the foundation for exploring complicated relationships and moral obligations.