Maradick at Forty: A Transition

by Hugh Walpole

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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)

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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

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TO THE

MARQUIS D’ALCEDO

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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]

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PART I

THE ROOM OF THE MINSTRELS

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