Le grillon du foyer

by Charles Dickens

"Le grillon du foyer" by Charles Dickens is a novella published in 1845. John Peerybingle, a simple carrier, lives happily with his much younger wife Dot until a mysterious stranger arrives at their home. When John witnesses what appears to be a secret meeting between Dot and the lodger—now revealed as a young man in disguise—his trust shatters. As John contemplates his next move, a cricket chirping on the hearth begins to show him visions that challenge everything he believes about his wife's faithfulness.