The Project Gutenberg EBook of The Guilty River, by Wilkie Collins

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Title: The Guilty River

Author: Wilkie Collins

Posting Date: April 24, 2009 [EBook #3634]
Release Date: January, 2003
First Posted: June 26, 2001

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE GUILTY RIVER ***

Produced by James Rusk. HTML version by Al Haines

THE GUILTY RIVER

by

Wilkie Collins

CONTENTS

Chapter I On the Way to the River
Chapter II The River Introduces Us
Chapter III He Shows Himself
Chapter IV He Explains Himself
Chapter V He Betrays Himself
Chapter VI The Return of the Portfolio
Chapter VII The Best Society
Chapter VIII The Deaf Lodger
Chapter IX Mrs. Roylake's Game: First Move
Chapter X Warned!
Chapter XI Warned Again!
Chapter XII Warned for the Last Time!
Chapter XIII The Claret Jug
Chapter XIV Gloody Settles the Account
Chapter XV The Miller's Hospitality
Chapter XVI Bribery and Corruption
Chapter XVII Utter Failure
Chapter XVIII The Mistress of Trimley Deen

CHAPTER I

ON THE WAY TO THE RIVER

FOR reasons of my own, I excused myself from accompanying my stepmother
to a dinner-party given in our neighborhood. In my present humor, I
preferred being alone--and, as a means of getting through my idle time, I
was quite content to be occupied in catching insects.

Provided with a brush and a mixture of rum and treacle, I went into
Fordwitch Wood to set the snare, familiar to hunters of moths, which we
call sugaring the trees.

The summer evening was hot and still; the time was between dusk and dark.
After ten years of absence in foreign parts, I perceived changes in the
outskirts of the wood, which warned me not to enter it too confidently
when I might find a difficulty in seeing my way. Remaining among the
outermost trees, I painted the trunks with my treacherous mixture--which
allured the insects of the night, and stupefied them when they settled on
its rank surface. The snare being set, I waited to see the intoxication
of the moths.

A time passed, dull and dreary. The mysterious assemblage of trees was
blac