Random musings on No Name

1/ Can anyone read the scene of private theatricals in No Name without thinking about Mansfield Park? The concern is the same, Norah Vanstone is on the same side as Jane Austen’s Fanny Price—amateur acting may encourage flirting and intimacy between young people, which is inappropriate. 
Here’s a funny bit, between Magdalen Vanstone and Frank, or Francis Clare: 

“… “It’s a compliment, I know, to be asked to act,” said Frank, in great embarrassment. “But I hope you and Miss Marrable will excuse me—”
“Certainly not. Miss Marrable and I are both remarkable for the firmness of our characters. When we say Mr. So-and-So is positively to act the part of Falkland, we positively mean it. Come in and be introduced.”
“But I never tried to act. I don’t know how.”
“Not of the slightest consequence. If you don’t know how, come to me and I’ll teach you.”
“You!” exclaimed Mr. Vanstone. “What do you know about it?”
“Pray, papa, be serious! I have the strongest internal conviction that I could act every character in the play—Falkland included. Don’t let me have to speak a second time, Frank. Come and be introduced.”” (S.1, Ch.4)   

As someone who was forced to act to fill a role (in my graduation film), I must say that is cute. The experience was mortifying—now that I’ve had the experience of being before the camera, I’ve understood the vulnerability of actors. 
Acting before a live audience is even worse. 

2/ Mr Clare, father of Frank and neighbour of the Vanstones, is an interesting character. He despises his own children, especially Frank, and wants them to fail just to be proven right. 
Sounds familiar. Did Wilkie Collins read Washington Square? 
Except that No Name was published in 1862, and Henry James’s book in 1880. Never mind. 

3/ No Name is about the story of the 2 Vanstone sisters, Norah and Magdalene, who become disinherited because of illegitimacy and some stupid laws. 
The question of supreme importance is: how much should each of the sisters get, if not for the unfortunate circumstances, and how much does each sister actually get from their cruel uncle Michael Vanstone?   
The amounts are, the book says, £40,000 (Mr Andrew Vanstone’s total fortune is £80,000) and £100, respectively. 
But what does that mean? 
The year in the story is 1846. I’ve just used an inflation calculator, and if it’s to be trusted (it’s the website of Bank of England), in 2018 each of the sisters would be entitled to about £4,580,618 and the amount the uncle offers each of them would be equivalent to £11,451. 
For context, the national minimum wage in the UK for over 25s is £8.21, so if we make it simple by assuming that someone works for 40 hours/ week, the annual salary would be £17,076 before tax. You might want to know the amount after tax, but there are lots of factors involved and the calculation is not perfect, especially over such a long period of time, so there’s no need to pretend to be exact—this, I think, is enough to get an idea of the money in No Name.