
A lone, cloaked stranger slips onto a night train from Rathclare to Dublin, his face forever hidden beneath a low‑brimmed hat. In the cramped first‑class compartment he remains motionless, an unsettling presence that repels every would‑be passenger. The journey is rendered in vivid Victorian detail, the chill of early winter and the clatter of rails amplifying his eerie solitude.
Arriving in London, the figure drifts through bustling stations and dim streets, refusing food, conversation, or even a suitcase. He pays a cab driver with a handful of gold and checks into a quiet city hotel, demanding only a locked room. Beneath his silent exterior lies a secret that will draw him into a world of intrigue and unexpected affection, setting the stage for a romance that unfolds amid the fog‑shrouded alleys of the capital. Listeners are invited to follow his enigmatic steps and discover what, or who, finally breaks his solitary spell.
Language
en
Duration
~3 hours (193K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Charles Bowen from page scans provided by Google Books (Oxford University)
Release date
2013-04-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
1846–1898
An Irish novelist with a strong gift for storytelling, he wrote bustling Victorian fiction and a huge number of magazine pieces. His best-known work, The Mystery of Killard, helped make him a popular name with late-19th-century readers.
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