Halfway House: A Comedy of Degrees - 1

BOOKS BY MAURICE HEWLETT
Published by CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS
Halfway House	$1.50
The Queen’s Quair	$1.50
New Canterbury Tales	$1.50
The Life and Death of Richard Yea and Nay	$1.50
The Forest Lovers	$1.50
Little Novels of Italy	$1.50
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HALFWAY HOUSE

A COMEDY OF DEGREES

HALFWAY HOUSE

A COMEDY OF DEGREES

MAURICE HEWLETT

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

NEW YORK : : : : 1908

CHARLES SCRIBNER’S SONS

Published June, 1908

CONTENTS

BOOK I

CHAPTER		PAGE
[I.]	MR. GERMAIN TAKES NOTICE	3
[II.]	MR. GERMAIN REVELS SEDATELY	17
[III.]	MR. DUPLESSIS PREVARICATES	23
[IV.]	A MISS AND A CATCH	34
[V.]	HOW TO BREAK A HEDGE	45
[VI.]	MISS MIDDLEHAM IS INVITED TO CONFIRM A VISION	55
[VII.]	MISS MIDDLEHAM HAS VISIONS OF HER OWN	65
[VIII.]	FRIENDSHIP’S GARLAND	74
[IX.]	THE WELDING OF THE BOLT	91
[X.]	CRATYLUS WITH MARINA: THE INCREDIBLE WORD	103
[XI.]	COOL COMFORT	113
[XII.]	ALARUMS	123
[XIII.]	WHAT THEY SAID AT HOME	140
[XIV.]	THE NEWS REACHES THE PYRENEES	153
[XV.]	A PHILOSOPHER EMBALES	171
[XVI.]	THE WEDDING DAY	181
[XVII.]	THE WEDDING NIGHT	192

BOOK II

[I.]	IN WHICH WE PAY A FIRST VISIT TO SOUTHOVER	207
[II.]	REFLECTIONS ON HONEYMOONS AND SUCHLIKE	221
[III.]	MATTERS OF ELECTION	235
[IV.]	LONDON NIGHTS AND DAYS	253
[V.]	LORD GUNNER ASCERTAINS WHERE WE ARE	262
[VI.]	SENHOUSE ON THE MORAL LAW	271
[VII.]	SHE GLOSSES THE TEXT	286
[VIII.]	ADVENTURE CROWDS ADVENTURE	295
[IX.]	THE PATTERAN	304
[X.]	THE BROTHERS TOUCH BOTTOM	312
[XI.]	OF MARY IN THE NORTH	319
[XII.]	COLLOQUY IN THE HILLS	328
[XIII.]	THE SUMMONS	343
[XIV.]	VIGIL	356
[XV.]	THE DEAD HAND	365
[XVI.]	WINGS	373
[XVII.]	FIRST FLIGHT	385
[XVIII.]	ENTER A BIRD-CATCHER	393
[XIX.]	HEARTACHE AND THE PHILOSOPHER	407
[XX.]	IN WHICH BINGO IS UNANSWERABLE	418