
In a grand yet fading stone house on Orange Street, Polchester, the world feels both timeless and oddly modern. The polished rooms echo with the click of a gramophone, a pianola’s tinkling, and the hum of a lift, while the garden has traded its once‑failing fountain for a sleek rock design. Within these walls lives young Jeremy, whose life is marked by the quiet rituals of a late‑Victorian household and the subtle power struggles that shape his childhood.
On the morning of his eighth birthday, Jeremy’s imagination swells with the promise of triumph as he claims the coveted wicker arm‑chair—long contested with his older sister, Helen. The simple act of sitting in the chair becomes a rite of passage, a moment when he feels a sudden surge of confidence and superiority. Yet the household’s gentle admonitions and the lingering tug‑of‑war between sibling and caretaker hint at the larger expectations awaiting him as he steps further into the world beyond the nursery.
Language
en
Duration
~7 hours (459K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Charles Franks, the Online Distributed Proofreading Team, and David Widger
Release date
2002-10-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1884–1941
Best known for vivid storytelling and a gift for atmosphere, this English novelist and critic wrote prolifically across the early 20th century, from literary fiction to ghostly tales. His books often mix sharp observation of people with a strong sense of place, especially the Lake District he loved.
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