The frantic master

In a breezy, early‑twentieth‑century setting, a group of friends scattered across ports from Colombo to Gibraltar gathers for a series of lively evenings and long voyages. The author’s witty dedication frames the narrative as a recollection of those five weeks, when talk of philosophy, love and the “frantic master” swirled as freely as the sea breezes. By the time the story opens, the reader meets Mrs. Carmichael, a harried hostess, and Cyprian Sterne, a hopeful yet impatient suitor, each caught in the tangled etiquette of a fashionable dinner party.

When a man discovers that the woman who once spurned him is now seated at the same table, the evening’s conversation pivots from polite small talk to a delicate dance of embarrassment and bravado. As the soup steams and the candles flicker, the guests must navigate their own insecurities while the narrator watches the social comedy unfold. The stage is set for a charming exploration of love, pride, and the unexpected connections that emerge when strangers share a meal.