Hepzibah Pyncheon - The sixty-year-old woman who lives in the house of the seven gables, and opens a cent shop and scowls away her customers. She cares only for her brother Clifford.

Clifford Pyncheon - Hepzibah’s brother who is released from prison after serving thirty years for a crime he didn’t commit. After being released he resides in the house with Phoebe and Hepzibah.

Phoebe Pyncheon - Hepzibah’s seventeen-year-old cousin who is nice and polite, yet isn’t very intelligent. She later marries Mr. Holgrave.

Holgrave - The daguerreotypist who lives in the far gable of the house, and is known to be very radical such as practicing witchcraft.

Uncle Venner - An older man who works for a living, and eventually moves to Jaffrey’s estate with Hepzibah and the others.

Matthew Maule - The previous owner of the land in which the house of the seven gables is built on. Colonel Pyncheon helped put him in prison for practicing witchcraft, and Maule curses the house and the Colonel.

Colonel Pyncheon - The man who had the house built after helping put Matthew Maule in prison for witchcraft. He dies very mysteriously soon after the house is built.

The Colonel decides to have a giant party at his new home, in which the lieutenant governor is evening attending. All of the guests arrive at the Colonel's home, and not one of them saw any sign of the Colonel. When the governor finally gets fed up with the Colonel's rude treatment of all the guests, he goes to the door behind where the Colonel is supposedly sleeping. After several minutes of knocking, the governor opens the door, and looks around. The Colonel's grandson then runs into the room and finds he grandfather dead, with blood running down his chin. Then someone in the crowd of people called out, "God hath given him blood to drink." All of the people there had there own suspicions of what had really occurred, but the Colonel's death was deemed a stroke, and was the talk of the town for sometime.

After the Colonel's death, the land which he had not quite secured before his death, became a controversy among the Pyncheon's for a long time. After Matthew Maule's death, his family members lived in seclusion, and were known as poor diligent workers who had inherited Matthew's powers and influence.

Over the years Pyncheon street faded and became less the nice area of town that it had been. One of the biggest characteristics of the house was the giant elm tree in the front yard which was now almost a hundred years old. One of the Pyncheon's had made a shop out of the front gable of the home, and used it as a store much as a person of the lower class would do. After the man died, the shop was boarded up and has remained the way it was for several years.

The story begins when sixty-year-old Hepzibah Pyncheon was getting out of bed a half-hour before sunrise. She was a lonely old women who had spent the last thirty years of her life by herself. She had rented out one of the gables to a young man who made his living making photographs. After getting out of bed she goes to her drawer and takes out a picture of a young man which she looks at for a while. Hepzibah is known among the townspeople for her characteristic scowlish expression on her face which she wears all the time. The significant part about this scowl is that she has no ill feelings towards anyone or the world. Until just a few days ago, nobody had touched the shop in the front gable for many years. Hepzibah had now restored the shop as best she could and setup the many things she intended to sell. The hard part about running a cent shop for Hepzibah was that the Pyncheon family was a member aristocracy in which they did not work for a living. This was now changing for Hepzibah and she was very uncomfortable with it. She has like many others in her family, been waiting for the families land dispute to end, and live rich. Hepzibah has finally come to terms with the fact that she must work in order to survive. She then goes and takes the bar off the shop door, and thus opens the store. Hepzibah realizes what her new life will be, and runs back into the parlor where she weeps in a chair.

Hepzibah is interrupted from her weeping when the shop bell sounds. She rises up and rushes to meet her first customer. The person at the shop door was a man of twenty years of age named Holgrave, whom was staying in the far gable of the house. They visit for a minute, and as Holgrave is very nice to Hepzibah, she is unable to handle it in breaks out into tears. She regains herself, and Holgrave intends to get some biscuits to take with him. Hepzibah gives him the biscuits, and lets him keep them without pay. After Holgrave leaves, Hepzibah returns to her unhappy mood, and after hearing several conversations from people passing by, Hepzibah is upset. She is then interrupted by a young boy opening the door inquiring about a gingerbread cookie. Hepzibah gives him the cookie, but once again does not charge him for it. The boy returns a minute later wanting another cookie, and this time Hepzibah asks the boy for his cent and then gives him the cookie. This is the point where Hepzibah realizes she has now worked for her money. After a while she begins to feel good about this. Several people pass through the store during the day, and many of them are very rude to Hepzibah. Hepzibah is even more disturbed by the people who enter the store and know of her seclusion from society and that she has now turned from an upper class person who does not work, to a lower class woman working for a living. After seeing an upper class woman walking down the street, Hepzibah starts to sympathize with the lower class, and gains feeling of hatred towards the upper class who do not have to earn what they receive.

Around noon on the same day, Hepzibah notices a man walking down the street who stops and looks at the house, and then the shop. The man takes in what he sees of Hepzibah in the store, and continues on. The man was Jaffrey Pyncheon, Hepzibah's cousin who was a wealthy judge. Hepzibah scoffs at him and goes into the parlor to knit, but ends up starring at the picture of Colonel Pyncheon, and losing herself in thought. Hepzibah then hears the shop bell, and finds a man known as Uncle Venner waiting in the shop. He is somewhat regarded as an idiot among the townspeople because of his lack of ambition. He tells Hepzibah the he is happy she is finally working, but he doesn't believe she will be doing it for long. After several minutes of dreaming up ways she could live the rest of her life without working, Uncle Venner asks her, "When do you expect him home?" Uncle Venner then immediately says that word is all over town about their arrival. Other than this Hepzibah is unsure of who is coming because Uncle Venner would tell no more.

Throughout the rest of the day, several people visit the store, but Hepzibah makes very little money. Just as Hepzibah is locking up the store, a carriage pulls up in front of the house, and a young girl gets out. The girl makes her way to the door and knocks. Hepzibah peeks outside, and figures the girl must be Phoebe, her cousin whose father had just died. Hepzibah decides that she will only allow Phoebe to stay for one night because she is concerned that her presence might upset Clifford.

When Phoebe awakens the next morning, she says her prayers and hurries down to the garden which her room overlooks. She arranges her room so that it looks more inviting, rather than the dreary look which it had previously. Hepzibah then tells Phoebe that she can't afford to have her stay in the house, and Phoebe quickly replies that she will be earning her own living. Hepzibah tries to discourage her and points out all the negative issues about her staying, but Phoebe is insistent on staying. Finally Hepzibah tells Phoebe that she is does not have the last say in the matter. Phoebe wonders who the master of the house is, and after guessing Judge Pyncheon, Hepzibah shows her. Hepzibah then takes out the small photograph that she had looked at earlier, and asks Phoebe is she has ever heard of Clifford Pyncheon. Phoebe remembered the name, but Clifford Pyncheon was dead. At this remark, Hepzibah laughs and replies that in old houses like this one dead people are sometimes apt to come back.

Phoebe and Hepzibah sit down to have breakfast, and Hepzibah notices that Phoebe is not a lady, because of the talents she posses that a lady(a woman of high stature) would not. Right as they sit down to eat, the shop bell rings, and Phoebe jumps up to assist the customer. Hepzibah admires Phoebe, but in no way wishes to be like her. Phoebe is not elegant, but pretty and graceful the way a bird is, and is far different from Old Gentility that becomes Hepzibah. Phoebe is like the month of May, and Hepzibah is like November. Phoebes presence in the house made a lot of customers come to the store, and the shop had made a considerably more amount that it had the previous day.

At the end of the day, Hepzibah takes Phoebe on the grand tour of the house pointing out all the little things on the wall. Hepzibah then tells her of the man living in the far gable, Mr. Holgrave, who is a daguerreotypist. He had been accused in a recent newspaper of having rebellious meetings with his friends. Hepzibah tells Phoebe she suspects him of practicing Black Magic, and animal magnetism in house room with his friends. Phoebe is shocked by this and insists to know why she lets such a lawless person stay in her house. Hepzibah then replies carelessly that she supposes he has a law of his own.

The next day Phoebe spends some time in the garden. She notices how well the garden is kept, and wonders who could be the gardener. When she calls out to some of the chickens in the yard, she hears a voice from behind her. She turns and finds a young man with a hoe who has come from one of the gables. Phoebe realizes this man is Holgrave, and she begins to act a bit more normal. He tells her about how gardening is a pastime for him, and his real occupation is making pictures out of sunshine. He takes a miniature out of a case he has and shows her how people can seem different in pictures. She at first thinks the man in the picture is Colonel Pyncheon, but she is mistaken. Phoebe tells Holgrave of the miniature that Hepzibah has, and is then shocked by how interested he is. She tells him to go see it for himself, but he replies he can only see the original because his character has already been judged. Although Holgrave is polite, Phoebe is not sure that she likes him. On their way back to the house, Holgrave tells Phoebe to come to his studio sometime, and not to drink from a fountain called Maule’s well because it is said to be bewitched. When Phoebe arrives in the house, it is very dark and she barely see Hepzibah. Phoebe hears some unusual sounds, and Hepzibah tells her to go on up and get some rest. Phoebe feels that someone else is in the house because she thinks she can hear heavy breathing. Phoebe then goes upstairs, and before she falls asleep hears Hepzibah’s voice and the murmur.

The next morning Phoebe hears a noise coming from the kitchen that wakes her up. She goes downstairs and finds Hepzibah making breakfast in a very emotional state. Phoebe notices everything in the house seems in order except that the table is set for three people. Phoebe ask Hepzibah who is eating with them, just as footsteps are heard on the stairs. Hepzibah hushes her and tells her to be cheerful. Hepzibah opens the kitchen door and leads in a man who has very long white hair, and looks as if he has lost his drive in life. Hepzibah introduces the man to Phoebe as being her cousin. Clifford sits down to eat, and Phoebe recognizes him from the miniature. She can tell that he has undergone some terrible wrong, but that it had not totally destroyed him. Clifford then talking to himself asks if this is really Hepzibah and why she scowls so much. Hepzibah tells him that he is home now where he is loved. Phoebe is disgusted by the way he eats and has to turn away. Phoebe then gives Clifford a flower from the garden, which oddly enough he had liked a long time ago. Clifford then notices the portrait of the Colonel, and gets out of his chair in alarm. Hepzibah explains to him why it must stay. After breakfast while Clifford is dozing, the shop bell awakens him. Hepzibah explains to him that she opened a cent shop and then asks if he is ashamed. He responds by asking how she could talk of shame to him and then breaks into tears. After he finally falls asleep, Hepzibah studies him for a while in sorrow. She then lowers the curtain and leaves him to rest.

Phoebe comes to the shop and finds Ned Higgins, the gingerbread eater, waiting to get eggs and raisins for his mother. After paying, Phoebe gives him a gingerbread whale which he immediately devours. The boy then asks how Hepzibah’s brother is. Phoebe doesn’t respond and is surprised to find out who Clifford really is. As he leaves the shop, a man enters in very nice dress. She notices that he acts very polite and nice, but can tell he is fake. The man asks if she is Hepzibah’s assistant, and she replies yes. She then tells him the she is also her cousin. The man introduces himself as Judge Jaffrey, and says that they must be cousins as well. The Judge then bends over the counter to kiss her, and Phoebe moves aside. She looks at him and blushes, and notices a fierce look on his face. She suddenly realizes this is the expression in which she saw in the miniature Holgrave had shown her. She notices a strong resemblance to that of the Colonel, suggesting that his mental characteristics might have been passed down as well. The Judge tries to regain his composure, and Phoebe finds herself having a hard time trying to warm up to him. His mental characteristics are very much like the Colonel, in that he pretends to be nice, and seems to be greedy.

Remembering Maule’s curse, when the Judge clears his throat, Phoebe jumps. He asks her what she is afraid of, and she quickly offers to go get Hepzibah. He stops her and asks about Clifford’s return. She describes Clifford as being very gentle, and the Judge is pleased and says he hopes Clifford has enough intellect to repent his past sins. Phoebe remarks that no could have fewer sins, and the Judge realizes she knows nothing of his past.

Phoebe takes the Judge into the house feeling unsure if what she is doing is right. When Hepzibah appears, her scowl has nothing to do with her near-nearsightedness. She tells him to leave and blocks the doorway. He asks to see Clifford, but Hepzibah denies his offer. The Judge then offers to be the host, and invites them to his home in the country. Hepzibah declines, and then hears Clifford inside asking not to let the Judge in. The Judge then gets a terrible look on his face, and then leaves. After he leaves Hepzibah wonders if she will ever be able to tell him how awful he is. Phoebe doesn’t believe that the Judge is really that bad, and dismisses it as a family feud.

Hepzibah’s only concern now is to make her brother happy. She tries hard, but she is clumsy and ugly and is only offensive to Clifford. However, Phoebe’s presence seems to have a positive effect on him. He appears happy, but does not tell her this. Clifford is attracted to Phoebe, but not physically. His attraction is for her beauty that he knows he will never have because of his imprisonment. During the time the build their relationship, Phoebe becomes somewhat curious of his past, but decides to judge him by getting to know him. After Phoebe finally learns of his past, she is not affected by it because she has already formed her own opinion of him.

Phoebe urges Clifford to start spending time in the garden, and he does. Clifford and Phoebe spend a lot of time in the garden talking and studying the living things. Clifford seems happy at times even though his actual state is ruined. After Clifford’s request to let the chickens roam freely in the yard, the Pyncheons do so. One morning at breakfast, Hepzibah serves an egg for breakfast, and Holgrave points out that the chicken’s spots are a symbol of the odd traits of the Pyncheons, and that chicken is a sign of life in the old house. The hens outside sit on the edge of Maule’s well and drink from the water which others believe to be so foul. When Clifford looks into the fountain he notices changing displays of figures in the water, some which are dark like his fate, and some which are happy like his personality.

On Sunday’s after Phoebe returns from church, the three Pyncheons are joined in the garden by Holgrave and Uncle Venner. Clifford is very comfortable around Uncle Venner because of his social class, and therefor feels superior to him. At times, Holgrave is very interested in talking with Clifford, almost more so than any of the others. During the daytime when the sun is out, Clifford seems to show his happy personality, but at night when the light has gone, his excitement fades. Clifford then states that he wants his happiness. The narrator then tells him that he is too old and has nothing to look forward to, so he should enjoy what he has.

Over the porch of the front gable there is an arched window where there was a balcony with rail at one time. Clifford spends much of his time their watching the people pass on the street during the days. On one occasion an Italian organ grinder and his monkey stop and play music under the elm. After noticing Clifford watching them, the organ grinder moves so they can hear him better. Clifford is very happy to her the music, but after noticing how ugly the monkey is, he breaks out into tears. One day there was political parade moving through the street, and to Clifford it seemed like a river of life. The look on his face however is odd, and Phoebe and Hepzibah assume he is disturbed by all the commotion. Clifford then steps onto the window sill and struggles to reach the balcony. Phoebe and Hepzibah pull him back inside, and Phoebe begins crying while Hepzibah yells at him. He replies that if he had fallen and survived he might have been a new man. One day while sitting with Hepzibah, Clifford sees Phoebe come out of the house and wave to them. Clifford then tells Hepzibah that if he were to go to church, he could pray once again. They decide they will go outside, and after a few steps, Clifford decides he can go no further. They return inside and the house seems more dismal than it had before. Clifford however was not always miserably because he didn’t have the worries that other had, and he felt somewhat like a child.

One afternoon, Clifford blows bubbles out of the window because it was something he loved to do as a kid. The people below gave their share of different reactions. Then when a bubble burst on one man’s nose, he turned and called out, "Aha cousin Clifford." At the sound of the Judge’s voice, Clifford is paralyzed by fear.

By mid-afternoon, Clifford is usually worn down, and Phoebe has a little time to herself. Although they thought Phoebe was immune to the dreariness of the house, she has already seemed to become less girlish that when she arrived. If she doesn’t get out than she is likely to become shy and unwholesome. The only young person which Phoebe gets to see very often is Holgrave. She is still not sure whether she likes him, and little by little learns of his history. She learns he has had no formal education, and has held several different jobs. He then tells Phoebe that he has great powers of mesmerism, and proves it to her by putting a rooster to sleep. He explains to her that being a Daguerreotypist is only his current occupation and is just another way of making a living. Even though he has moved around during his life, he has been able to keep his identity, and for this Phoebe admires him, although she is a bit nervous at his different laws.

Holgrave had taken a strong interest in Clifford, and when asked any questions, Phoebe is not forthcoming. She then questions his interest and Holgrave replies, " a man’s bewilderment is the measure of his wisdom. Phoebe then inquires Holgrave about how he met Hepzibah, and he goes off on a speech about the influence of the past, and how me must be dead before we can influence the future. Holgrave then says that eventually all buildings will not be made of anything as permanent as stone or brick, and that the house of seven gables is dirty and should be purified.

Phoebe then asks Holgrave why he lives there. Holgrave says he lives in the house to help him hate the past. He believes that the Puritans’ idea to plant a family is very wrong, and people should forget their ancestors every fifty years. He tells Phoebe that it is proven in the Pyncheon family. Holgrave says the Colonel lives on today in Jaffrey, and it will probably continue to be inherited. Holgrave then tells Phoebe he has even written a story about an incident in her family history. Phoebe asks to listen if it is not to dull or long.

Holgrave’s story takes place thirty-seven years after the death of Colonel Pyncheon. Matthew Maule, the grandson of the wizard Matthew Maule who was put to death, was summoned to the Pyncheon house by Gervayse. Matthew was unhappy about this so he decided he would enter at the front door. He arrives at the house and is taken in to meet Gervayse, who was the grandson who had found the Colonel dead. Matthew thought he was going to the house to fix something, but instead ends up talking with Gervayse about land. Gervayse explains that his grandfather had signed a deed which would give them control of a lot of land, but this deed was not found before the Colonels death. He told Matthew he would pay to find out where this document was. Matthew requests the offer of the house in exchange for him finding the deed. Gervayse was not particularly interested in the house and quickly wrote up an agreement. Maule then said he would need Alice, Gervayse’s daughter, to help him find the deed. Gervayse is shocked, but agrees and summons Alice. Maule then puts Alice into a trace in which he has full control over her. He then asks her where the deed is, and she begins describing three men, which are the Colonel, Thomas Maule, and Matthew Maule. The Maule’s are apparently keeping the Colonel from telling where the deed is, because every time the Colonel tries to talk he gets choked up. Gervayse is shocked and scared, and when he tries to speak he gets choked up. Matthew then turns and says that he is choking on old Maule’s blood. He then wakes Alice up from the trance and she is never the same from that point on.

Whenever Maule sees Alice, he has full control of her. One night he summons her in the cold while she is wearing very little to come out and play her harpsichord. She does, and develops a fever and dies. Maule is very upset, as he had not intended to harm her at all.

Holgrave had been very dramatic in his reading, and noticed that Phoebe had dozed off. After a second of looking at her, he realized he had put her in a trance. Although he was very tempted to keep control over her, he resisted and woke her up. She remembered nothing, and they sit and talk in the garden for a while. Phoebe tells him that she plans to go home and see her mother in the country, but plans to return to the house soon. Holgrave then tells her she must return because she is all the life that is left in the house. He tells her that Hepzibah can’t make it without her, and Clifford would be lost, and both would likely die.

Phoebe then compares the house to a theater and says the play costs the performers too much and the audience is cold-hearted. Holgrave then tells her he feels the drama is coming to an end soon, but doesn’t explain what he means. He then suggest maybe destiny is arranging a catastrophe. Phoebe is puzzled by this and bids Holgrave goodnight. A couple days later Phoebe prepares to leave, and tells everyone good-bye. On her way out she meets Ned Higgins in the store, and gives him a cookie. She then bumps into Uncle Venner on the street, and he tells her she must come back quickly for the sake of the people who can’t do without her. He then refers to her as an angel, and she disagrees. She says she does feel like on though when she is helping, and for this reason she will return.

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Right after Phoebe left there was a storm that lasted for several days. This made the setting in the house much worse, and Hepzibah and Clifford sat around all day. On the fifth day of here absence Clifford tells Hepzibah he will not be getting out of bed. Later that afternoon she hears Alice’s harpsichord playing, and assumes Clifford is entertaining himself. When she hears the harpsichord stop, the shop door opens. She finds that it is Judge Jaffrey coming to see Clifford. She once again refuses to let him in, and this time stands up to him and tells him she knows he hates Clifford and is plotting against him. She and Holgrave are the only people who feel this way about the Judge, while all the other citizens feel he is a model person. At Hepzibah’s outburst, the Judge becomes furious just as the Colonel might have, and begins arguing with her fiercely. He tells her that thirty years ago when their uncle died, that only a small portion of what he was to receive came to light. He feels that Clifford knows where the lost wealth is, and threatens to put Clifford back in jail if he doesn’t tell. Hepzibah is upset at his misuse of power, and tells him he is making the same mistake that the Colonel did. He pays this remark no attention and insists on seeing Clifford. Hepzibah felt she had no other choice and let him in. The Judge came in and took a seat in the elbow chair and watched the clock waiting for Clifford to arrive.

Hepzibah tries to stall as long as she can before getting Clifford up and bringing him downstairs. She is very worried of what will happen to Clifford, and that he may be punished for something he didn’t do. Hepzibah tries to find someone who can help, and can only think of Holgrave who is not in his room. She prays through the arched window for Clifford, and then proceeds to knock on his door. At first she knocks very quietly, and then begins to knock loudly, and gets no answer. She calls out for him several times and still gets no reply. She opens the door and walks in to find an empty room. She looks out the window and does not see him anywhere. She is very worried for his safety and runs downstairs to tell the Judge. She gets to the parlor which is very dark, and begins talking to the Judge, who doesn’t respond. Suddenly Clifford appears, and is very pale. He tells her that, "the weight is gone," meaning that his life was back. Hepzibah got a closer look at the Judge and was stricken with horror. Meanwhile Clifford was happy as could be to have his life back. Clifford said they must leave immediately, and Hepzibah didn’t think a bit and prepared to leave with him. She was shocked and unsure of what exactly had happened or how it had come about. She only feared that Clifford had something to do with it. Clifford and Hepzibah leave the house, leaving the Judge’s body there.

Clifford and Hepzibah set of on their journey, and seem almost like children as they have not been outside the home in a good while. After a while they reach a train station where a train is about to leave. Throughout all of this Hepzibah still wonders if she is dreaming. Clifford is now more open and takes in all the scenery from his seat on the train. Hepzibah, however is totally worried and can think only of the house. Clifford gives the conductor some money and asks to go as far as possible. Clifford then talks with another passenger about how our lives move in a circle, and we find ourselves going back to where we started. Clifford then thinks to himself why people would build houses now that there are railroads so that people could live everywhere and nowhere. Clifford believes that are obstacles to happiness are the houses we build. Clifford thinks of an old man sitting in his chair in dying when he tries to picture the house of the seven gables. He realizes he could never be happy there. Clifford then turns to talk to the man about real estate and how it is the foundation for all the guilt in the world. He believes this because a man will commit almost any wrong to build his house.

Finally the train reaches a station where Hepzibah and Clifford get off. From the station they can see an old church and farmhouse. It is cold and rainy, and Clifford is very cold. Hepzibah then kneels on the platform and prays for God to have mercy on them.

Back at the house of the seven gables, the Judge still sits in his chair and has not moved at all. Today was going to be a very busy day for the Judge, so why would he still be waiting in the chair. It is said that at midnight the Pyncheon ghosts would come to check on the portrait of the Colonel. This night, the Colonel notices all is well, but looks troubled about something. After him follows several generations of the Pyncheons, including Judge Pyncheon and his son. If it is true that his son is dead, the Pyncheon fortune will be shared by Hepzibah, Clifford, and Phoebe. During the night a mouse crawls by the Judge’s shoe, and is chased off by a cat. Suddenly the Judge’s watch stops ticking; the shadows fade and it is morning. A fly lands on the Judge’s nose, and the shop bell rings.

Uncle Venner wanders out of his home after five days of stormy weather. He goes to the house of the seven gables, and notices that the autumn is here because of the golden leaves on one branch of the elm. He looks at the house which seems normal except for one thing. There is a clump of red flowers growing in a crevice between two of the gables, which are called Alice’s Posies. Alice Pyncheon had brought the seeds from Italy, and thrown them on the roof. It seemed to mean the something in the house was different because only a couple of days ago they had been a clump of weeds. Uncle Venner goes to the backyard to get some scraps for his pigs which Hepzibah usually leaves for him, but there are none there. He doesn’t knock because it is so early, but Holgrave is up and calls him to the window. The two men talk for a moment, and Uncle Venner assumes that Hepzibah either overslept or had made a trip to the country with Clifford and the Judge.

Throughout the day several people stop by the shop, but have no luck as it is evident that no one knows what has happened to the Pyncheons. Later on the organ grinder and his monkey stop by, and do not see the faces they had before. Someone on the street tells the organ grinder to leave because the Judge has been murdered. The man leaves, and the two men whom Hepzibah had overheard the first day she opened the shop, got the card which the organ grinder had found listing all the Judge’s appointments the previous day. This seemed odd that the Judge had planned appointments and missed them. They went to the City Marshall’s office, and the children who overheard the men talking scatter in fear.

Thirty minutes later Phoebe arrives in a cab, and finds no one to greet her at the door. She goes to the garden expecting to find Clifford and Hepzibah there, but finds the garden a wreck. It appeared as if no one had been in the garden for days or taken care of it. The knocks on the garden gate which is locked, but opens. She assumes Hepzibah has opened it for her and she enters. The gate then shuts behind her as she walks through.

The house is very dark and Phoebe can see nothing. She then feels a hand squeeze hers and instantly knows it is Holgrave. He leads her into an empty apartment in one of the unoccupied gables. She can tell that something is wrong by the look on his face. He tells here that Clifford and Hepzibah are gone, but they are okay. Phoebe then tries to push her way into the parlor but he retrains her, and tells her something ad has happened. He knows he has to tell her the truth about what has happened so he removes the picture of the Judge he had shown her in the garden, from his pocket. She looks at it and asks why he is involved. He then hands her a recent picture of the dead Judge, and she is terrified. He tells her that he had found the body in the morning when he became curious about everyone’s whereabouts. Phoebe is surprised by how calm Holgrave seems, and she asks why he has not reported this to anyone. He tells her he want to know what she thinks is best for Clifford and Hepzibah, as the Judge clearly died just as the Colonel had, and now by fleeing the house, Clifford and Hepzibah incriminated themselves. Holgrave believes this incidence to be only more proof that Clifford is innocent, because they run in the family. He says he believes that Clifford’s conviction was arranged and the Judge Jaffrey had a great deal to do with it.

Through all that has happened Holgrave seems very calm, and they both agree they must bring his death to light immediately. He then tells her that there will never be another moment like this where he feels terror and excitement. Then Holgrave reveals to Phoebe that he is in love with her. Phoebe asks how this could be true, and how she could possibly make him happy. He replies that he only has happiness with her, and that he wants to be with her. Her only worry is that he will try to change her from her path she is on. She then admits she is in love with him too, and for a minute they seem to have forgotten about the Judge. A noise from the street door brings them out of their trance, and they can tell by the murmurs that it s Hepzibah and Clifford. Hepzibah bursts into tears, and Clifford tells Phoebe and Holgrave that he thought of them when he saw the Posies. Clifford had apparently known what had happened between them.

The Judge’s death had stirred a great deal of talk about his death and the truth of the Colonel’s death, of which the cause had been ruled natural. Due to all the talking, a new theory arises on what has happened. When Judge Jaffrey was a young man, he went searching through his Uncle’s room. His Uncle was upset at him and fell and hit his head killing him instantly. Young Jaffrey continued searching and found two wills: one which left everything to Clifford, and one that left everything to him. The Judge then arranges the evidence to point to Clifford as the criminal, and destroys the other will.

A week later, word came from Europe the Judge Jaffrey’s son had died of Cholera, and this meant the estate would go to Hepzibah and Clifford. Despite the theories, his murder trial was never reopened, as Clifford didn’t care of fixing his reputation. He never recovers totally, but is much better now that the Judge is gone and he has come back to life. Hepzibah, Clifford, and Phoebe leave the house of the seven gables to live in the estate in the country which was no theirs. Holgrave had become more conservative now that he was planning on marrying Phoebe, and asks why the Judge did not build his house of stone.

Clifford looks at the Colonel’s picture, and says it holds a secret which he has forgotten. Holgrave then steps up to the picture and puts his finger on a secret spring somewhere on its frame. When he did this the picture crashed to the floor. The exposed wall now showed a hiding place which contained the deed which gave the Pyncheon family the eastern territory. This is what Clifford says he had been trying to remember all along. Clifford had found the spring when he was a boy, and he told Jaffrey he had found hidden wealth. This made Jaffrey think he knew of their Uncle’s hidden estate.

Phoebe is very curious and ask Holgrave how he knew of the spring. He responds by asking her how she will like having Maule as a last name. Holgrave is apparently a descendant of Matthew Maule, and he had inherited the secret. Thomas Maule had constructed the hiding place, and hid the deed there. All the rumors which had gone around about the Pyncheons trading the eastern territory for the garden plot were true. Phoebe tells Uncle Venner that he will not speak of work again, as the new estate has a cottage which will be furnished just for him. They all urge Uncle Venner to live with them, and he agrees.

They leave for the estate in a four-wheeled carriage, as a group of children gather around the horses. Phoebe sees Ned Higgins and gives him enough silver to buy all the gingerbread he wants. Then the two men who had spoken of Hepzibah when she opened her cent shop now pass by notice her. The men realize that Hepzibah has done well for herself. Anyone who watched the water spout from Maule’s well would have been able to foretell these events. They could have known had they listened to the prophecies of the old elm. As Uncle Venner walks away from the house, he thinks he hears Alice Pyncheon touch her harpsichord one last time before she floats up to heaven from the house of the seven gables.