
At the heart of a bustling city newsroom, a night editor pushes himself beyond the limits of sleep and sanity. Obsessed with chasing headlines, he works until the press rolls, believing his relentless speed will keep the paper ahead. Yet every mistake—real or imagined—gnaws at him, and a careless remark about being stuck in “pi” sparks a sudden, unsettling self‑audit.
In a dimly lit office he retreats, letting Reason and Conscience take the stage. The two inner voices accuse him of folly, of turning his mind into a gossip‑machine, and of losing sight of deeper truths. Their harsh judgments force him to confront the emptiness behind his ambition and the fragile balance between duty and personal integrity.
As the evening deepens, the editor must decide whether to keep racing or to pause and listen to the quieter call of his own values. The story unfolds as a vivid portrait of a man on the brink of burnout, wrestling with the very essence of his work and the cost of relentless pursuit.
Language
en
Duration
~10 hours (586K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Release date
2004-07-01
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1838–1888
Best known for blending warmhearted fiction with practical advice about country life, this 19th-century American writer reached a wide audience with novels that were both moral and deeply readable. Before turning fully to literature, he also served as a Presbyterian minister and a Civil War chaplain.
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