This work lies between Sullivan's serious works and his light operas chronologically as well as in style and plot; in this respects, it most resembles The Yeomen of the Guard. His partnership with librettist W.S. Gilbert was for all practical purposes finished, after a long and acrimonious series of disagreements. While Sullivan hoped to ensure his lasting musical reputation through operas and oratorios rather than operettas, these genres did not bring in the kind of money he had become accustomed to, and so Sullivan returned to comic opera for fortune if not fame.

As if Sullivan and Sydney Grundy, the librettist, were attempting to disassociate it from Sullivan's collaborations with Gilbert, the opening scenes could fit into any serious opera, particularly the solemn paean to the stately homes of England. Even the "Ballad of the Dormouse," which sets up the story of the lovers, has a serious side to it, though the combination of allegory and sentimentality has counterparts in many of the earlier operettas, such as "Titwillow" from The Mikado and "There Grew a Little Flower" from Ruddigore (where they were used in semi-serious situations). Sullivan also used moments of recitative to advance the plot as well as dialog, another element more common in grand opera. The finale to the second act is unusually somber, even philosophical, with its envisioning of "a vacant world, silent and grey," set to music that could have come from his In memoriam. This duality is emphasized by the equivalent of a double finale, the first, as the Puritans rebel against their former ways, "We Have Thought the Matter out," a typical Savoyard, with requisite brass and "tra la la," the second ending the work, written in serious style, complete with a serious moral, "to thine own heart be true."

The plot is more conventional than Gilbert's efforts; the primary couple are treated seriously and the comic relief comes from the servant couple and from the secondary characters. Sullivan's music, too, follows the conventions; he reserves musical exaggeration and patter melodies solely for the comic characters. However, his serious music here is among his best; the duet "Mother, Dearest Mother," for Dorothy and Lady Vernon, is melting in its lyrical simplicity, and the scene in the last act, when Lady Vernon and Sir George are reconciled, is unusually touching. Among the comic numbers, the grumbling duet, "There's No One by," is an excellent characterization of the two vain Puritans.

The public received his contributions warmly, as did critics, and it ran for 204 performances, shorter than the most successful Gilbert and Sullivan comic operas but still enough to count as a success, though it soon fell from the repertoire. Part of this is due to the very weak libretto. The satire is generally heavy-handed and the dramatic moments are often inadvertently laughable ("the horses are waiting/and ready am I/the storm is abating/come love, let us fly" is just one of the more unfortunate moments).

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