A Modern Chronicle

At Quicksands, amid a glittering polo match and its polished social rituals, Honora Spence watches wealth, sport, and status with a mix of fascination and unease. Sharp-eyed and increasingly discontent, she is drawn into the orbit of Trixton Brent, whose wit, confidence, and unsettling intelligence expose the snobberies, rivalries, and hidden pressures beneath fashionable society. When he and a circle of visitors persuade her to host an impromptu bridge party, Honora discovers an unexpected exhilaration in winning and in testing herself beyond the limits of her world. But the evening's glitter gives way to deeper conflict. Brent's teasing remarks about Howard's business ambitions unsettle Honora, forcing her to question her husband's character, his dependence on others, and the emotional emptiness of their marriage. Lily Dallam's accusations of social betrayal only sharpen Honora's rebellion against Quicksands' narrow expectations. Restless for a freer life, she begins searching New York for a house of her own, and the search becomes a struggle over identity, independence, and a marriage that may not be able to contain her growing need for selfhood. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.