"The Girl at the Gate" was one of the most popular works of its time. It was published in New York in December 1884 before its January 1885 appearance in "The English Illustrated Magazine." It was explicitly written for this special December 27, 1884 "Christmas Spirit" issue of The Spirit of the Times, The American Gentleman's Newspaper. This story is also considered one of the first modern English detective novels. Here, one can find all the elements typical for a novel: a love triangle, a mysterious illness, and poisoned medicine.