Jilted! Or, My Uncle's Scheme, Volume 1

A young man recounts the comfortable monotony of his youth, raised by a handsome army major in the seaside town of Longueville‑sur‑mer. He describes his school days, his failed attempts at a mustache, his hobby of coloring meerschaum pipes, and his modest triumphs at billiards and whist. The narrative is peppered with vivid anecdotes—an imperial salute from Louis Napoleon, the flamboyant banter of his father, and the steady rhythm of afternoons spent in genteel idleness.

When the narrator finally leaves school, his father's indifference to the future and the lure of a quiet, predictable life clash with the unexpected invitation of his uncle’s “scheme.” This uncle, a figure of quiet ambition, proposes a venture that promises to disturb the protagonist’s well‑ordered existence. As the story unfolds, the listener is drawn into a witty, Victorian‑flavoured portrait of family, ambition, and the subtle comedy that arises when routine meets the prospect of change.