Led Astray and The Sphinx Two Novellas In One Volume

A breezy letter arrives from a friend who has taken an unexpected detour into a Normandy flour‑mill, swapping Parisian cafés for clouds of powder and the odd, towering night‑cap. The narrator paints the scene with a blend of wit and detail, turning the miller’s wife into a comic portrait of ribbons, gilded stockings and an impossibly stiff woolen petticoat. Through this playful lens the letter hints at a larger purpose: a government commission to assess the hidden ruins of Rozel Abbey, a forgotten monastery that might soon earn protection as a historic monument.

The writer’s enthusiasm for the task is undercut by a lack of records and the baffling indifference of local officials, setting up a gentle mystery about the abbey’s past. A dinner with the prefect’s wife offers a glimpse of the site’s romantic allure, sparking curiosity about the secrets the crumbling walls may keep. Listeners can expect a charming mix of satire, travelogue and early‑stage investigation that invites imagination without revealing the story’s later twists.