
The Hand of Ethelberta: A Comedy in Chapters
by Thomas Hardy
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About This Book
Adventuress and opportunist, Ethelberta reinvents herself to disguise her humble origins, launching a brilliant career as a society poet in London with her family acting incognito as her servants. Turning the male-dominated literary world to her advantage, she happily exploits the attentions of four very different suitors. Will she bestow her hand upon the richest of them, or on the man she loves? Ethelberta Petherwin, alias Berta Chickerel, moves with easy grace between her multiple identities, cleverly managing a tissue of lies to aid her meteoric rise. In "The Hand of Ethelberta" (1876), Ha...
Chapters (51)(click to expand)
- THE HAND OF ETHELBERTA—A COMEDY IN CHAPTERS by Thomas Hardy.
- PREFACE
- CONTENTS
- 1. A STREET IN ANGLEBURY—A HEATH NEAR IT—INSIDE THE ‘RED LION’ INN
- 2. CHRISTOPHER’S HOUSE—SANDBOURNE TOWN—SANDBOURNE MOOR
- 3. SANDBOURNE MOOR (continued)
- 4. SANDBOURNE PIER—ROAD TO WYNDWAY—BALL-ROOM IN WYNDWAY HOUSE
- 5. AT THE WINDOW—THE ROAD HOME
- 6. THE SHORE BY WYNDWAY
- 7. THE DINING-ROOM OF A TOWN HOUSE—THE BUTLER’S PANTRY
- 8. CHRISTOPHER’S LODGINGS—THE GROUNDS ABOUT ROOKINGTON
- 9. A LADY’S DRAWING-ROOMS—ETHELBERTA’S DRESSING-ROOM
- 10. LADY PETHERWIN’S HOUSE
- 11. SANDBOURNE AND ITS NEIGHBOURHOOD—SOME LONDON STREETS
- 12. ARROWTHORNE PARK AND LODGE
- 13. THE LODGE (continued)—THE COPSE BEHIND
- 14. A TURNPIKE ROAD
- 15. AN INNER ROOM AT THE LODGE
- 16. A LARGE PUBLIC HALL
- 17. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE
- 18. NEAR SANDBOURNE—LONDON STREETS—ETHELBERTA’S
- 19. ETHELBERTA’S DRAWING-ROOM
- 20. THE NEIGHBOURHOOD OF THE HALL—THE ROAD HOME
- 21. A STREET—NEIGH’S ROOMS—CHRISTOPHER’S ROOMS
- 22. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE
- 23. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE (continued)
- 24. ETHELBERTA’S HOUSE (continued)—THE BRITISH MUSEUM
- 25. THE ROYAL ACADEMY—THE FARNFIELD ESTATE
- 26. ETHELBERTA’S DRAWING-ROOM
- 27. MRS. BELMAINE’S—CRIPPLEGATE CHURCH
- 28. ETHELBERTA’S—MR. CHICKEREL’S ROOM
- 29. ETHELBERTA’S DRESSING-ROOM—MR. DONCASTLE’S HOUSE
- 30. ON THE HOUSETOP
- 31. KNOLLSEA—A LOFTY DOWN—A RUINED CASTLE
- 32. A ROOM IN ENCKWORTH COURT
- 33. THE ENGLISH CHANNEL—NORMANDY
- 34. THE HÔTEL BEAU SÉJOUR AND SPOTS NEAR IT
- 35. THE HOTEL (continued), AND THE QUAY IN FRONT
- 36. THE HOUSE IN TOWN
- 37. KNOLLSEA—AN ORNAMENTAL VILLA
- 38. ENCKWORTH COURT
- 39. KNOLLSEA—MELCHESTER
- 40. MELCHESTER (continued)
- 41. WORKSHOPS—AN INN—THE STREET
- 42. THE DONCASTLES’ RESIDENCE, AND OUTSIDE THE SAME
- 43. THE RAILWAY—THE SEA—THE SHORE BEYOND
- 44. SANDBOURNE—A LONELY HEATH—THE ‘RED LION’—THE HIGHWAY
- 45. KNOLLSEA—THE ROAD THENCE—ENCKWORTH
- 46. ENCKWORTH (continued)—THE ANGLEBURY HIGHWAY
- 47. ENCKWORTH AND ITS PRECINCTS—MELCHESTER
- SEQUEL. ANGLEBURY—ENCKWORTH—SANDBOURNE
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