The Trail of the Serpent

by BRADDON, MARYWILLIS, CHRIS

• ISBN13: 9780812966787
• ISBN10: 0812966783
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 2003-02-11
• Publisher: Modern Library

Summary

Mary Elizabeth Braddon (18371915), Victorian England's bestselling woman writer, blends Dickensian humor with chilling suspense in this "exuberantly campy" (Kirkus Reviews) mystery. The novel features Jabez North, a manipulative orphan who becomes a ruthless killer; Valerie de Cevennes, a stunning heiress who falls into North's diabolical trap; and Mr. Peters, a mute detective who communicates his brilliant reasoning through sign language. This edition includes a critical Afterword and endnotes by Victorian scholar Dr. Chris Willis.

Author Biography

<b>Sarah Waters</b> is the award-winning author of <i>Tipping the Velvet</i>, <i>Affinity</i>, and <i>Fingersmith</i>.

Table of Contents

Biographical Note	v
Introduction	xv
Sarah Waters
A Note on the Text	xxv
THE TRAIL OF THE SERPENT
BOOK THE FIRST. A RESPECTABLE YOUNG MAN
The Good Schoolmaster	5	(5)
Good for Nothing	10	(8)
The Usher Washes His Hands	18	(5)
Richard Marwood Lights His Pipe	23	(9)
The Healing Waters	32	(7)
Two Coroner's Inquests	39	(4)
The Dumb Detective a Philanthropist	43	(7)
Seven Letters on the Dirty Alphabet	50	(6)
``Mad, Gentlemen of the Jury''	56	(15)
BOOK THE SECOND. A CLEARANCE OF ALL SCORES
Blind Peter	71	(6)
Like and Unlike	77	(4)
A Golden Secret	81	(6)
Jim Looks over the Brink of the Terrible Gulf	87	(8)
Midnight by the Slopperton Clocks	95	(6)
The Quiet Figure on the Heath	101	(10)
The Usher Resigns His Situation	111	(8)
BOOK THE THIRD. A HOLY INSTITUTION
The Value of an Opera-Glass	119	(5)
Working in the Dark	124	(6)
The Wrong Footstep	130	(9)
Ocular Demonstration	139	(6)
The King of Spades	145	(9)
A Glass of Wine	154	(6)
The Last Act of Lucretia Borgia	160	(5)
Bad Dreams and a Worse Waking	165	(11)
A Marriage in High Life	176	(5)
Animal Magnetism	181	(8)
BOOK THE FOURTH. NAPOLEON THE GREAT
The Boy from Slopperton	189	(15)
Mr. Augustus Darley and Mr. Joseph Peters Go Out Fishing	204	(5)
The Emperor Bids Adieu to Elba	209	(13)
Joy and Happiness for Everybody	222	(5)
The Cherokees Take an Oath	227	(7)
Mr. Peters Relates How He Thought He Had a Clue, and How He Lost It	234	(19)
BOOK THE FIFTH. THE DUMB DETECTIVE
The Count De Marolles at Home	253	(6)
Mr. Peters Sees a Ghost	259	(9)
The Cherokees Mark Their Man	268	(6)
The Captain, the Chemist, and the Lascar	274	(5)
The New Milkman in Park Lane	279	(5)
Signor Mosquetti Relates an Adventure	284	(6)
The Golden Secret Is Told, and the Golden Bowl Is Broken	290	(6)
One Step Further on the Right Track	296	(8)
Captain Lansdown Overhears a Conversation Which Appears to Interest Him	304	(11)
BOOK THE SIXTH. ON THE TRACK
Father and Son	315	(13)
Raymond de Marolles Shows Himself Better Than All Bow Street	328	(7)
The Left-Handed Smasher Makes His Mark	335	(10)
What They Find in the Room in Which the Murder Was Committed	345	(14)
Mr. Peters Decides on a Strange Step, and Arrests the Dead	359	(22)
The End of the Dark Road	381	(27)
Chapter the Last. Farewell to England	397	(11)
Afterword	408	(7)
Chris Willis
Appendix: My First Novel	415	(13)
Mary Elizabeth Braddon
Notes	428	(33)
Reading Group Guide	461