Front matter
Reading edition
NOVELS BY HUGH WALPOLE
STUDIES IN PLACE
THE WOODEN HORSE
MARADICK AT FORTY
THE GODS AND MR. PERRIN
TWO PROLOGUES
THE PRELUDE TO ADVENTURE
FORTITUDE
THE RISING CITY
1. THE DUCHESS OF WREXE
2. THE GREEN MIRROR
(In preparation)
MARADICK
AT FORTY
A Transition
BY
HUGH WALPOLE
Author of the “Fortitude” “The Duchess of Wrexe” etc.
. . . . Bless us, all the while
How sprucely we are dressed out, you and I!
A second, and the angels alter that.
How it strikes a contemporary.
NEW YORK
GEORGE H. DORAN COMPANY
TO THE
MARQUIS D’ALCEDO
CONTENTS
PART I
THE ROOM OF THE MINSTRELS
I The Place 11
II In Which Our Hero and the Place Meet
Once Again 13
III In Which the Admonitus Locorum Begins to
Have Fun with Two Entirely Respectable
Members of Society 28
IV In Which the Aforesaid Admonitus Leads
the Aforesaid Members of Society a Dance 53
V Maradick Makes a Promise and Meets an
Itinerant Optimist 79
VI Supper with Janet Morelli 103
VII Maradick Learns that “Getting a View”
May Have Its Dangers as Well as Its
Rewards 125
VIII They All Eat Chicken in the Gorse and Fly
Before the Storm 136
PART II
PUNCH
IX Morelli Breaks Some Crockery and Plays a
Little Music 167
X In Which Everyone Feels the After Effect
of the Picnic 196
XI Of Love—and Therefore to be Skipped by All
Those Who are Tired of the Subject 216
XII Our Middle-aged Hero is Burdened by Responsibility
but Boldly Undertakes the Adventure 230
XIII More of the Itinerant Optimist; Alice du
Cane Asks Maradick a Favour 256
XIV Maradick in a New Rôle—He Afterwards
Sees Tony’s Face in a Mirror 279
XV Why It Is to be the Twenty-seventh, and
what the Connexion was Between Janet’s
Being Frightened and Toby’s Joining
the Great Majority 297
PART III
THE TOWER
XVI Mrs. Lester, Too, Would Like It to be the
Twenty-seventh, but Maradick Is Afraid
of the Devil 325
XVII Morning and Afternoon of the Twenty-
seventh—Tony, Maradick, Janet, and Miss
Minns Have a Ride After the Wedding 343
XVIII Afternoon and Evening of the Twenty-
seventh—Maradick Goes to Church and
Afterwards Pays a Visit to Morelli 368
XIX Night of the Twenty-seventh—Maradick and
Mrs. Lester 387
XX Maradick Tells the Family, Has Breakfast
with His Wife, and Says Good-bye to Some
Friends 402
XXI Six Letters 421
XXII The Place 427
PART I
THE ROOM OF THE MINSTRELS