On his last night in Paris, Henry Pelham moves through a glittering world of dukes, gamblers, and polished wits, dazzling society while quietly exposing its vanity. At a private gathering hosted by the Duchesse de B—, he is introduced to a regal, charismatic figure and savors the elegance of courtly conversation, only to withdraw at the height of his success. Restless, he returns to a gambling salon, where whispers of cheating, revenge, and hidden identities lead him into a tense mystery involving Warburton, Tyrrell, and Thornton. When Warburton emerges as Reginald Glanville, Tyrrell is left shattered, and Henry becomes the unwilling witness to a revenge drama built on secrecy and collapse. His departure from Paris continues in the same satirical key: he mocks gossip, writes a cutting letter to Howard de Howard, and travels to Calais with relish. There he encounters Sir Willoughby Townshend and the celebrated Mr. Russelton, whose worldly wit turns French manners, English tourists, and masculine pretension into comic targets. Back at Glenmorris Castle, Henry is drawn into family politics and the borough struggle for Buyemall, where old aristocratic influence gives way to the ambitions of banker Lufton. With charm, tact, and impeccable timing, he courts the St. Quintins and the Reverend Combermere, proving that in this world politics, like society, is a performance of style, tact, and control. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.
