
Transcribed from 1893 Macmillan and Co. edition by David Price, email ccx074@pglaf.org. Proofed by Nina Hall, Mohua Sen, Bridie, Francine Smith and David.
Allan Wayworth is a bright, restless twenty‑eight‑year‑old trying to carve a place for his literary ambitions amid the bustling streets of London. When he is invited into the warm, golden drawing‑room of Mrs. Alsager, a strikingly cultured woman whose charm seems to soften the city’s chill, he discovers a rare refuge from his loneliness. Their conversations drift from the practical to the poetic, and the easy companionship they share feels like a balm for his restless spirit.
Mrs. Alsager, bound to a powerful, older husband, lives a life of quiet influence and artistic yearning. Though she has no children, she fills her world with beauty, literature, and a subtle generosity that draws Allan deeper into her orbit. As their connection deepens, both must navigate the delicate balance between admiration, desire, and the constraints of society, setting the stage for a nuanced exploration of love, ambition, and the search for personal freedom.
Language
en
Duration
~1 hours (67K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2001-07-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1843–1916
Best known for novels and ghost stories that turn social scenes into psychological drama, this master stylist explored the tensions between Americans and Europeans, innocence and experience. His work helped bridge 19th-century realism and literary modernism.
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