Ask Mamma (Barnes & Noble Digital Library): Or the Richest Commoner in England

“The following story does not involve the complication of a plot.” So states the preface, setting the tone for the humorous tale that follows. The Victorian novel tells of two generations of the Pringle family—Mamma, or Miss Emma Willing is a seamstress whose son Fine Billy goes to enjoy romance, hunting, and courting in high society.