Phantom Fortune A Novel

Excerpt from Phantom Fortune People dined earlier forty years ago than they do now. Even that salt of the earth, the elect of society, represented by that little great world which lies between the, narrow circle hounded by Bryanstone Square on the north and by Birdcage Walk on the south, did not consider seven o'clock too early an hour for a dinner party which was to be followed by routs, drums, concerts, conversazione, as the case might be. It was seven o'clock on a lovely 'june evening, and the Park was already deserted, and carriages were rolling swiftly along all the West end squares, carrying rank, fashion. Wealth. And beauty, political influence, and intellectual power, to the particular circle in which each was destined to illumine upon that particular evening. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

This novel tells the story of Isabel, a young woman who inherits a fortune from an unknown relative. As she navigates the complexities of her new social status, she uncovers secrets from her family's past. M.E. Braddon was a popular author in the 19th century, known for her sensational plots and strong female characters. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

This novel tells the story of Isabel, a young woman who inherits a fortune from an unknown relative. As she navigates the complexities of her new social status, she uncovers secrets from her family's past. M.E. Braddon was a popular author in the 19th century, known for her sensational plots and strong female characters. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

"[...] CHAPTER I. PENELOPE. [...]."

People dined earlier forty years ago than they do now. Even that salt of the earth, the elect ofsociety, represented by that little great world which lies between the narrow circle bounded byBryanstone Square on the north and by Birdcage Walk on the south, did not consider seven o'clocktoo early an hour for a dinner party which was to be followed by routs, drums, concerts, conversazione, as the case might be. It was seven o'clock on a lovely June evening, and the Park wasalready deserted, and carriages were rolling swiftly along all the Westend squares, carrying rank, fashion, wealth, and beauty, political influence, and intellectual power, to the particular circle inwhich each was destined to illumine upon that particular evening.Stateliest among London squares, Grosvenor-in some wise a wonder to the universe as newlylighted with gas-grave Grosvenor, with its heavy old Georgian houses and pompous porticoes, sparkled and shone, not alone with the novel splendour of gas, but with the light of many waxcandles, clustering flower-like in silver branches and girandoles, multiplying their flame in numerousmirrors; and of all the houses in that stately square none had a more imposing aspect than LordDenyer's dark red brick mansion, with stone dressings, and the massive grandeur of an Egyptianmausole