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CHAPTER I. - THE TEMPLE OF VESTA
CHAPTER II. - THE YOUNG DOCTOR
CHAPTER III. - GARDEN FANCIES
CHAPTER IV. - MOSTLY PROFESSIONAL.
CHAPTER V. - LETTER-WRITING AND HYSTERICS
CHAPTER VI. - INFORMATION
CHAPTER VII. - FESTIVITY
CHAPTER VIII. - REVELATION
CHAPTER IX. - SIDE LIGHTS
A newly‑minted physician arrives in a quiet village, eager to find his place and drawn to a striking red‑brick house that dominates the lane. The seasoned doctor who escorts him describes the residence as the “Temple of Vesta,” home to two enigmatic Vestal Virgins—Miss Phoebe, sharp‑tongued and wary of men, and Miss Vesta Blyth, a gentle soul forever tending a solitary lamp in memory of a long‑lost love. Their secluded home, with its lilac‑laden garden and sea‑view windows, radiates a calm that intrigues the young doctor as much as its quiet mysteries.
Determined to make the house his own, the newcomer plans to stay despite the old doctor’s subtle warnings. He learns that Miss Vesta’s nightly ritual is a tribute to a tragedy thirty years past, while Miss Phoebe’s practical nature keeps the household running. As he navigates village expectations and the subtle dynamics of the two women, the promise of a new life in the “Temple of Vesta” begins to unfold, inviting listeners into a tale of longing, duty, and the quiet power of memory.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (165K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2005-09-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1850–1943
Best known for the delightfully silly poem "Eletelephony," this prolific American writer published more than 90 books, ranging from children’s stories and poems to biographies. She also shared in a Pulitzer Prize for the biography of her mother, Julia Ward Howe.
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by Laura Elizabeth Howe Richards

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