
In a smoky Washington Square loft, a circle of bohemian New Yorkers gathers for an evening of music, wine, and daring conversation. As a ukulele hums beneath Penelope’s delicate fingers, the group’s talk turns to love, marriage, and the radical idea that women should claim the same freedoms as men. Amid the laughter, a mysterious prophecy is whispered, hinting that unseen forces are already at work in Penelope’s troubled life.
Penelope Wells, a striking yet tormented figure, hides a marriage to a brutal husband while yearning for true intimacy. The night’s debate about a woman’s right to choose her own path is cut short by a sudden, chilling scream that freezes the room. Listeners are drawn into a world where occult practices, dual personalities, and the thin veil between reality and the supernatural begin to unravel, promising a tense and thought‑provoking journey through the shadows of early‑20th‑century New York.
Language
en
Duration
~5 hours (332K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Marcia Brooks, Suzanne Shell and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2007-07-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1863–1926
A journalist, war correspondent, and novelist, this late-19th- and early-20th-century writer moved easily between reporting, adventure, and popular fiction. His work reflects the fast-paced magazine world of his era, with stories that often mix suspense, travel, and a reporter’s eye for detail.
View all books