The Moon Rock
by Arthur J. Rees (1872–1942)
- Free to read
- 7 hours to read
- 34 chapters
- Reading level: 6th grade
"The Moon Rock" by Arthur J. Rees is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story begins with a somber funeral in a bleak Cornish churchyard, focusing on the recently deceased Mrs. Turold and the emotional detachment of her husband. Central characters include Robert Turold, who is driven by his obsession with restoring his family's noble title, and his daughter Sisily, who grapples with her father's harsh demeanor and the impact of her difficult upbringing. The narrative hints at themes of ambition, familial duty, and the darkness underlying social aspirations. The opening of the novel introduces Mrs. Turold's funeral, placing Robert Turold in a moment of introspection as he contemplates his wife’s death and the haunting presence of their family's legacy. We meet Sisily, a young woman marked by sadness and a sense of isolation, who watches her father with a mix of fear and admiration. The tension within the family dynamic becomes evident through conversations at the funeral, as Robert’s single-minded pursuit of a title overshadows his familial relationships. As the story unfolds, themes of legacy, identity, and the costs of ambition are deeply explored, setting the stage for the dramatic revelations that follow.
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Read the opening
Chapter I
The voice of the clergyman intoned the last sad hope of humanity, the final prayer was said, and the mourners turned away, leaving Mrs. Turold to take her rest in a bleak Cornish churchyard among strangers, far from the place of her birth and kindred.
The fact would not have troubled her if she had known. In life she had been a nonentity; in death she was not less. At least she could now mix with her betters without reproach, free (in the all-enveloping silence) from the fear of betraying her humble origin. Debrett's Peerage was unimportant in the grave; breaches of social etiquette passed unnoticed there; the wagging of malicious tongues was stopped by dust.
Her husband lingered at the grave-side after the others had departed. As he stood staring into the open grave, regardless of a lurking grave-digger waiting to fill it, he looked like a man whose part in the drama of life was Care. There was no hint of happiness in his long narrow face, dull sunken eyes, and bloodless compressed lips. His expression was not that of one unable to tear himself away from the last glimpse of a loved wife fallen from his arms into the clutch of Death. It was the gaze of one immersed in anxious thought.
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About this edition
This free edition of The Moon Rock by Arthur J. Rees comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #12509, released 2004-06-01. It is in the public domain in the United States, so you can read it here in full at no cost, on any phone, tablet or computer. Genre: Novels.
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