Edward, who travelled to South America and is thought to be dead. The miser Tackleton is now on the eve of marrying Edward's sweetheart, May, but she does not love Tackleton. Tackleton tells John Peerybingle that his wife Dot has cheated on him, and shows him a clandestine scene in which Dot embraces the mysterious lodger; the latter, who is in disguise, is actually a much younger man than he seems. John is cut to the heart over this as he loves his wife dearly, but decides after some deliberations to relieve his wife of their marriage contract. In the end, the mysterious lodger is revealed to be none other than Edward who has returned home in disguise. Dot shows that she has indeed been faithful to John. Edward marries May hours before she is scheduled to marry Tackleton. However, Tackleton's heart is melted by the festive cheer (in a manner reminiscent of Ebenezer Scrooge), and he surrenders May to her true love. Characters John Peerybingle, a carrier; a lumbering, slow, honest man Mrs. Mary Peerybingle, ("Dot"), John Peerybingle's wife Caleb Plummer, a poor old toymaker in the employ of Tackleton Bertha Plummer, the blind daughter of Caleb Plummer Edward Plummer, the son of Caleb Plummer Tackleton (called "Gruff and Tackleton"), a stern, ill-natured, sarcastic toy merchant May Fielding, a friend to Mrs. Peerybingle Mrs. Fielding, her mother; a little, peevish, querulous old lady Tilly Slowboy, a great clumsy girl; Mrs. Peerybingle's nursemaid the baby, child of Dot and John, treated as an object throughout the story. Literary significance and criticism The book was a huge commercial success, quickly going through two editions. Reviews were favourable, but not all so. In an unsigned piece in The Times the reviewer opined, "We owe it to literature to protest against this last production of Mr. Dickens [...] Shades of Fielding and Scott! Is it for such jargon as this that we have given your throne to one who cannot estimate his eminence?" However, William Makepeace Thackeray enjoyed the book immensely: "To us, it appears it is a good Christmas book, illuminated with extra gas, crammed with extra bonbons, French plums and sweetness [...] This story is no more a real story than Peerybingle is a real name!" Dickens's portrayal of the blind girl Bertha is significant. Victorians believed disabilities were inherited, and thus it was not socially acceptable for the blind to