
E-text prepared by Tim Lindell, David E. Brown, and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team (http://www.pgdp.net) from page images generously made available by Internet Archive (https://archive.org)
PROLOGUE THE MISER
CHAPTER I ADVENTURERS’ PACT
CHAPTER II THE SECRETARY
CHAPTER III THE ASSEMBLING
CHAPTER IV EVE OF BATTLE
CHAPTER V THE SEARCH BEGINS
CHAPTER VI THE SIXTH SENSE
CHAPTER VII HAPHAZARD QUESTING
CHAPTER VIII IN THE RECESS
On a storm‑laden night in a low‑ceilinged study, a gaunt old scholar named Horace Abernethey sits before a crackling fire, his keen eyes fixed on a rain‑spattered window. He clutches a fragment of music that seems to pulse with a cursed rhythm, and he swears he must finish its work before death catches him. The haunting melody hints at a long‑forgotten secret buried beneath the nearby lake.
When word of the score spreads, a ragtag band of adventurers forms an uneasy pact to trace the clues hidden in the notes. Their search leads them through shadowed woods, forgotten tunnels, and the ominous depths of the lake itself, where a secret vault may hold untold riches—or something far more dangerous. Listeners are drawn into a tense, atmospheric chase that balances clever riddles with the ever‑present threat of the unknown.
Language
en
Duration
~6 hours (386K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2019-06-22
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1867–1926
A journalist, editor, novelist, and one-time Episcopal clergyman, this versatile American writer moved easily between literary fiction, popular mysteries, and practical self-improvement books. His career took him from Vermont and New York to London and back again, giving his work an unusually wide range.
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