On a hot August night in Boston the narrator prepares to sail for Liverpool on the Patagonia, and agrees to look after Grace Mavis, a young woman travelling to Europe to marry her long-time fiancé. At sea she drifts into an idle flirtation with young Jasper Nettlepoint, while the other passengers gossip and judge, and the narrator watches the situation darken.
A taut, sombre James novella about appearances and the pressure of public opinion, ideal for a single sitting. Download the free EPUB.