A Bid for Fortune · Chapters

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Chapter companions for A Bid for Fortune by Guy Boothby.

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Chapter 1
Prologue
The manager of the Imperial Restaurant, Mr. McPherson, is perplexed by a mysterious letter from Dr. Nikola, written three months earlier from Cuyaba, Brazil, ordering a dinner for four on a specific date. Despite his doubts, the preparations are made. At ten minutes to eight, three men arrive separately, each presenting a card with a red dot: a clergyman, a well-dressed American named Eastover, and a tall, pockmarked man. They are shown to room No. 22. Later, Dr. Nikola meets with his agents—Eastover, Prendergast, and Baxter—assigning them tasks to execute his scheme against a man named Wetherell, whom he vows to ruin.
Chapter 2
I: I Determine to Take a Holiday—Sydney, and What Befell Me There
Richard Hatteras introduces himself as a pearler and trader from Thursday Island, now wealthy after years of hard work. He decides to take a holiday to England to visit his father's birthplace. In Sydney, he encounters a suspicious stranger who offers to show him around, but a lawyer warns him against the man. He boards the Orizaba and meets Miss Wetherell and her father, who remember his kindness in the Domain. Hatteras finds himself falling in love with Miss Wetherell, though he feels his humble station makes him unworthy. During the voyage, she confronts him about avoiding her, and they share a meaningful conversation.
Chapter 3
II: London
Richard Hatteras recounts his first impressions of London and his anxious wait for a letter from his sweetheart Phyllis. They meet at the British Museum, where he gives her a ring as a token of his love. After she leaves, Hatteras wanders into an unfamiliar part of London and has lunch at a French restaurant. There he encounters a mysterious man who demonstrates uncanny knowledge of Hatteras's personal cards and performs a conjuring trick that reveals a vision of Phyllis crying and calling for him, leaving Hatteras deeply unsettled.
Chapter 4
III: I Visit My Relations
The narrator travels to the English countryside to visit his father's family. He meets his miserly uncle, Sir William Hatteras, who lives in a decaying ancestral hall. Sir William initially mistakes him for a fortune-seeker but learns of his wealth. The uncle shows him the house, including the room where his father was born, and reveals his poverty and paranoia. Over a meager lunch, Sir William mentions his daughter Gwendoline and reluctantly agrees to introduce her.
Chapter 5
IV: I Save an Important Life
The narrator, Richard Hatteras, travels to Bournemouth to hire a yacht called the Enchantress. After inspecting and chartering the vessel, he sets sail around the Isle of Wight. During the voyage, he rescues a young bather from drowning—later revealed to be Lord Beckenham. After reviving him and lending him dry clothes, Hatteras learns the young man's identity and meets his tutor, Mr. Baxter (Prendergast), whom Hatteras distrusts. The chapter ends with Hatteras reflecting on his suspicions.

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Prologue

I: I Determine to Take a Holiday—Sydney, and What Befell Me There

II: London

III: I Visit My Relations

IV: I Save an Important Life