
A ship glides homeward from the sun‑kissed shores of Madeira, its passengers eager to leave the exotic bustle behind and return to the familiar green of English meadows. Among them are familiar faces—Arthur Knight, John Dallington, and the matronly Miss Wentworth—who reminisce about past adventures while hinting at a larger purpose awaiting them back home. Their conversations, tinged with a quiet optimism, set the tone for a story that looks beyond ordinary travel to a hopeful vision of England’s future.
The narrative unfolds as a series of vignettes that blend everyday encounters with a stirring “forecast” of what the nation might become. Guided by a spirit of progressive love and a deep Christian conviction, the characters see children as priceless treasures, the seed of a brighter tomorrow. As they navigate both countryside Sundays and bustling London streets, listeners are invited to share in their reflections on duty, community, and the promise of a new order, all while the mystery of their ultimate destination slowly comes into view.
Language
en
Duration
~13 hours (772K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Original publisher
United Kingdom: James Clarke & Co., 1892.
Credits
Richard Tonsing and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive)
Release date
2022-12-26
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1834–1909
A prolific English hymn writer and poet, she published under the pen name Marianne Farningham and wrote for a wide popular readership for more than fifty years. Her work blended religious feeling with an accessible, encouraging voice that helped make her a familiar name in Victorian devotional reading.
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