The Charles Reade Library

In which the observant Mr. Hazel uncovers a disturbing scene below deck involving the ship’s mate and grappled with the troubling dynamics between the captain, the mate, and himself, compounded by cold refusals from a lady passenger he admires. Meanwhile, the ship sails onward under fair and foul conditions, with mounting unease as the crew jollies unaware of a serious leak threatening their voyag...

In which we observe the intricate machinations of Arthur Wardlaw, a merchant wrestling with perilous debts and desperate schemes, while his beloved Helen Rolleston undertakes a fraught voyage aboard the Proserpine, under the shadow of concealed truths and uneasy companionship. Amidst the shifting winds and tempestuous seas, tender confidences unfold, revealing whispered enmities and the fragile bl...

In which a brave young lady bids a tearful farewell to her steadfast father as she embarks for England aboard the Proserpine, while a mysterious clergyman struggles for passage amid the bustle of departure. The general, left to grapple with silent anxieties concerning his daughter’s health and a vanished ship’s officer, sets in motion a shadowy inquiry before preparing to follow her across the sea...

In which a night pilgrimage to the harbour reveals unexpected departures and tender sorrows beneath starlight, while a young man’s heart wrestles with despair and secret devotion amidst the shadows of love and duty. Meanwhile, the humdrum of colonial commerce conceals a curious nocturnal intruder and the diligent custody of treasure, as one whose passion is both his torment and his cloak prepares...

In which Mr. Wardlaw's son rises to prominence in commerce while Robert Penfold, under a new identity and burdened by past shame, toils as a gardener and falls into hopeless love with the general’s daughter, Helen Rolleston. The narrative unfolds with tender yet tense encounters, shaded by suspicion and lurking danger, as the lives of these characters intertwine amid quiet watchfulness and brewing...

In which the reader is introduced to the sober and respectable Wardlaw family dining-room scene, where father and son grapple with a troubling forged bill bearing the name of the son's trusted tutor, Reverend Robert Penfold. Subsequently, the narrative shifts to reveal Penfold's arrest and trial for the forgery, exposing the strain on youthful loyalty and honour amid a distressing miscarriage of j...