Gwendoline
| Language | en |
|---|---|
| First published | 2025-11-27 |
| Rights | Public domain in the USA. |
| Gutenberg ID | #77349 |
Description
Bacchus; or, wine to-day and to-morrow by P. Morton Shand is a cultural and gastronomic treatise written in the early 20th century. It likely examines the history, production, and enjoyment of wine, weighing tradition against modern science and taste, and guiding readers through contemporary wine culture. Readers interested in wine’s past and its evolving place in everyday life will find an informed, opinionated companion here. The opening of the provided narrative follows Gwendoline Halcombe, a young London artist and eldest of ten, as a chance seaside visit to Riversmouth entwines her with the stern local magnate, Lady Halcot, and the kindly lawyer, Mr. Selwyn. Amid Lady Halcot’s rigid control of the town and family estrangement from Gwendoline’s mother, an invitation is sent to dine; but before it can be kept, Gwendoline heroically dives from sea-washed rocks to save a drowning boy, is rescued herself, and unknowingly offends Lady Halcot by missing the engagement. Praised quietly by the doctor, Mr. Fosbrook, yet misunderstood by those who hear only of an “accidental wetting,” she returns to her crowded home, where loving parents and practical sister Ruth greet her—and she learns a crushing blow: her ailing father will lose his bank post, deepening the family’s financial peril. The section closes with Lady Halcot beginning to reconsider the girl after hearing the true story, and Gwendoline, pale and exhausted, arriving to consult Mr. Selwyn as hope and hardship collide. (This is an automatically generated summary.)