The Four FeathersJust before sailing off to war in the Sudan, British guardsman Harry Feversham quits his regiment. He immediately receives four white feathers-symbols of cowardice-one each from his three best friends and his fiancée. To disprove this grave dishonor, Harry dons an Arabian disguise and leaves for the Sudan, where he anonymously comes to the aid of his three friends, saving each of their lives. Having proved his bravery, Harry returns to England, hoping to regain the love and respect of his fiancée. This suspenseful tale movingly depicts a distinctive code of honor that was deeply valued and strongly promoted by the British during the height of their imperial power. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. |
Contents
A Crimean Night | 5 |
Captain Trench and a Telegram | 15 |
The Last Ride Together | 22 |
The Ball at Lennon House | 28 |
The Pariah | 40 |
Harry Fevershams Plan | 45 |
The Last Reconnaissance | 55 |
Lieutenant Sutch Is Tempted to Lie | 62 |
Mrs Adair Intervenes | 157 |
East and West | 166 |
Ethne Makes Another Slip | 173 |
Durrance Lets His Cigar Go Out | 181 |
Mrs Adair Makes Her Apology | 189 |
On the Nile | 196 |
Lieutenant Sutch Comes Off the HalfPay List | 201 |
General Fevershams Portraits Are Appeased | 214 |
At Glenalla | 69 |
The Wells of Obak | 78 |
Durrance Hears News of Feversham | 83 |
Durrance Sharpens His Wits | 90 |
Durrance Begins to See | 104 |
Captain Willoughby Reappears | 112 |
The Story of the First Feather | 121 |
Captain Willoughby Retires | 132 |
The Melusine Overture | 141 |
The Answer to the Overture | 147 |
The House of Stone | 220 |
Plans of Escape | 232 |
Colonel Trench Assumes a Knowledge of Chemistry | 242 |
The Last of the Southern Cross | 253 |
Feversham Returns to Ramelton | 261 |
Again Plays the Melusine Overture | 267 |
Ethne Again Plays the Melusine Overture | 275 |
The End | 281 |