On the Brink of a Chasm: A record of plot and passion

It occurred to little Sir Piers that it would be a good thing if now, that he was quite well, he went home. As no one was inclined to take him, he thought he would go by himself...

The wedding took place in a fortnight. The marriage was solemnized at St. James’s, Fore Street. This was the church which Barbara and her mother attended on Sundays. Seeing the...

About a fortnight after the Pelhams had taken up their residence at Pelham Towers a little old woman might have been seen making her way slowly up the avenue. From the lodge gat...

“DEAREST BARBARA” (he wrote),—“Something very bad has happened. I dare not and will not tell you what it is, but it is just possible that I shall be obliged to remain in town fo...

“You must come, Dick,” said his young wife; “your keeping away looks strange. Mrs. Pelham has been talking to mother about you and wondering why you never come near her. She sen...

It was nine o’clock when Tarbot arrived. Nurse Ives was waiting for his step. If he lifted the little knocker on her door and sounded a rat-tat the child might awake. Accordingl...

Pelham never quite remembered how he got into the street. He was only conscious of having completely lost his self-control, of a mad whirl of emotions, which deprived him, for t...

On the following morning at an early hour Tarbot, knowing nothing of the arrival of Mrs. Ives, went down to Devonshire. He left the train at the little station of Haversham, and...

Pelham sat with the boy for about an hour. The nurse came in and turned off the electric light. She lit a lamp in a distant part of the room, and shaded it; then she approached...

It wanted now but three days to Christmas, and Pelham and his wife were very busy. They were happy in their new life, and all Pelham’s suspicions had rolled away like a cloud on...

When her husband left the house Clara sent for the cook. She gave explicit orders, and the cook was respectful. The woman had lived before now in what she considered high famili...

It was certified that Piers Pelham, baronet, aged seven, had come by his death owing to cardiac failure. The certificate to this effect was duly signed by the well-known Dr. Tar...

Nearly a month went by and the time was getting towards Christmas. The weather in London was bitterly cold. Fogs were frequent, and there was a good deal of sickness about.

There was a crush at Mrs. Evershed’s beautiful house in Mark Place, and she now stood at the head of the staircase receiving her guests. Her face wore a smile, and conventional...

Barbara looked like a beautiful white lily. Her long neck slightly drooped as she walked down the room. Tarbot’s face as he watched her became more and more ugly; the devil was...

Mrs. Ives was like and yet unlike her daughter. She had the same sandy complexion, her face was slightly freckled and her lips very thin; she had shrewd, kindly eyes, however, a...

On the night that Clara Tarbot faced the awful fact that she was not long for this world, that consumption had claimed her for its prey, and when she had also discovered that he...

It was on the very day that Pelham was arrested on a charge of murder, and Barbara, happy and unconscious, had gone to Exeter to buy presents for the Christmas tree, that Mrs. I...

“The news about Piers?” said Barbara. “Oh, I don’t believe for a moment it is so bad. Dear Mrs. Pelham, don’t give way; try, try to bear up.” For the poor woman had suddenly flu...

Having seen Tarbot out, Nurse Ives returned to her own room and sat down in front of the gas stove. It was a warm night—warm and damp. There was a thick fog outside, one of thos...

“I love my bit of money,” she continued after a pause. “I don’t believe in no bankses. I has my money in an old stocking at the back of the chimney. I has got a hundred and fift...

Clara took her mother to her bedroom. A bright fire glowed in the grate, the bed was turned down, and everything looked soft, luxurious, and the very height of luxury.

Pelham, who was just attending to his first brief, started up with an exclamation, put on his hat, and in half an hour had arrived at Mrs. Evershed’s house in Mark Place. He was...

Barbara tried to hurry forward, but Tarbot pushed her aside. He bent over the child and examined him carefully. The boy was absolutely unconscious and icy cold. He looked exactl...

On leaving the house Mrs. Ives walked quickly up the avenue. When she had gone nearly a mile she met one of the under-gardeners. He was weeding and cutting the edges of the road...

The ceremony was over, the signatures signed in the vestry, and the bride and bridegroom were congratulated by their witnesses. Tarbot put a couple of guineas into each of the v...

Sir Piers Pelham, aged seven, was an autocrat. He lived in a big house, daintily and luxuriously furnished. He had servants to do his bidding; each whim was attended to immediat...

“I will send a note to my maid. She will pack them and follow me this evening. I will go to town with you, Dr. Tarbot. When does the next train start?”

As soon as Clara left him, Tarbot put on his hat and went to see the solicitor for the prosecution. The latter had made an appointment to see Tarbot between three and four o’clo...

Mrs. Ives’s appearance on the scene roused Clara. She questioned her mother eagerly. Very soon she had got to the bottom of the old woman’s knowledge. Mrs. Ives completely exone...

Nurse Ives lifted the little body out of the trunk and laid it down on a pile of warm blankets in front of the hot fire; then, taking the electric battery from the table, she pr...

Mrs. Pelham mourned for her boy in the deepest black. She gradually recovered her health, but her spirits were low, and she indulged in much weeping. She began to look pale and...

When Pelham left the house in Ashley Mansions it was not yet ten o’clock. He paused for a moment on the pavement to look at his watch and consult with himself. The result of his...

“I won’t keep you long,” answered Clara very gently. She was interrupted by a fit of coughing. Try as she would, she could not restrain it. Her face became crimson, and her feat...

Barbara received Mrs. Tarbot’s letter by the first post in the morning. She read the contents and determined to act on Clara’s counsel at once. Pelham was just getting up when h...

When Pelham left his wife he went into the Park. It was a foggy evening with frost in the air, and the fog was densest in the Park, as it always is. He walked under the trees wa...