
A young baron, restless and impeccably dressed, arrives at a remote mountain hotel hoping for a brief escape from his bureaucratic duties. The crisp alpine air and bustling arrival scene contrast sharply with his growing impatience as he discovers the guest list holds no familiar faces—or any women—to spark conversation. His habit of seeking novelty and the thrill of a fleeting romance drives him to wander the corridors, glancing at magazines and even coaxing a waltz from the piano, all in search of a distraction.
As evening settles and mist drifts through the fir trees, the baron’s boredom deepens, and his desire for a lively encounter becomes almost palpable. He notices a few recognizable strangers, yet the lack of companionship fuels his restless imagination. The stage is set for unexpected connections, hinting at the subtle tensions that will soon surface among the hotel's eclectic guests.
Language
en
Duration
~2 hours (136K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.)
Release date
2014-05-25
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1881–1942
An internationally bestselling writer in the years between the world wars, he was known for elegant, emotionally intense stories and for sharp portraits of famous lives. Exile, the collapse of Europe he loved, and a deep sense of loss gave his later work an added poignancy.
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