
Produced by Juliet Sutherland, Charles Franks and the
BOOK FIRST - CHAPTER I - AIMLESS STEPS
CHAPTER II - A JUNE DAY-DREAM
CHAPTER III - THE SHINING TIDE
CHAPTER IV - REALITY
CHAPTER V - MUTUAL DISCOVERIES
"I?"
CHAPTER VI - A QUAKER TEA
"I?"
CHAPTER VII - A FRIEND
At the heart of a bustling city newsroom, a night editor pushes himself beyond the limits of sleep and sanity. Obsessed with chasing headlines, he works until the press rolls, believing his relentless speed will keep the paper ahead. Yet every mistake—real or imagined—gnaws at him, and a careless remark about being stuck in “pi” sparks a sudden, unsettling self‑audit.
In a dimly lit office he retreats, letting Reason and Conscience take the stage. The two inner voices accuse him of folly, of turning his mind into a gossip‑machine, and of losing sight of deeper truths. Their harsh judgments force him to confront the emptiness behind his ambition and the fragile balance between duty and personal integrity.
As the evening deepens, the editor must decide whether to keep racing or to pause and listen to the quieter call of his own values. The story unfolds as a vivid portrait of a man on the brink of burnout, wrestling with the very essence of his work and the cost of relentless pursuit.
Language
en
Duration
~10 hours (586K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-07-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1838–1888
A Civil War chaplain turned bestselling novelist, he wrote warm, moral stories that connected everyday life, faith, and the changing world around him. His books reached a wide audience in the late 19th century, especially readers drawn to historical drama and domestic fiction.
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