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Two Women or One? From the Mss. of Dr. Leonard Benary

by Henry Harland (1861–1905)

  • Free to read
  • 2 hours to read
  • 14 chapters
  • Reading level: 6th grade

"Two Women or One? From The Mss. of Dr. Leonard Benary" by Henry Harland is a novel written in the late 19th century. This story unfolds around Dr. Leonard Benary, a retired physician, who encounters a mysterious and troubled young woman one fateful night, leading to a complicated narrative concerning identity, redemption, and the power of memory. Through the character of Louise Massarte, who is in despair and contemplating suicide, the story explores deep themes of morality, personal history, and the notion of rebirth. The opening of the novel sets a tense scene on a dark, stormy night as Dr. Benary finds himself drawn to a mysterious woman near a river, fearing she may intend to end her life. After an awkward and intense exchange, she reveals her desperate circumstances, igniting a discussion on suicide and the value of life. Despite her cold demeanor and claims of being beyond help or hope, Benary insists on helping her, leading to an agreement for her to stay with him for an hour. As they converse, her past unravels, exposing her as a convict who has escaped from prison. This initial encounter marks the beginning of an intricate journey involving identity, transformation, and the intertwining fates of two women, as Benary's resolve to assist her could lead to unexpected consequences.

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  • Physicians
  • Identity

Read the opening

Chapter I. — The First Night

|My name is Leonard Benary—rather a foreign-sounding name, though I am a pure-blooded Englishman. I reside at No. 63, Riverview Road, in the American city of Adironda, though I was born in Devonshire. And I am a physician and surgeon, though retired from active practice. My age can be computed when I say that I came into the world on the 21st day of July, in the year 1818.

I must at the outset crave the reader's indulgence for two things. First, my style. I am not a literary man; and my style will therefore be ungraceful. Secondly, my provincialisms. I have lived in Adironda for very nearly half a century, and I have therefore fallen into divers local peculiarities of speech. But I have a singular, and I believe an interesting and significant, story to tell, and I think it had better be ill told than not told at all.

It begins with the night of Friday, June 13th, 1884.

Towards twelve o'clock on that night I was walking in an easterly direction along the south side of Washington Street, between Myrtle Avenue and Riverview Road, on my way home from a concert which I had attended at the Academy of Music. Moving in the same direction, on the same side of the street, and leading me by something like a hundred feet, I could make out the figure of a woman. Except for us two, the neighbourhood appeared to be deserted.

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Contents

  1. Chapter I. — The First Night
  2. Chapter II. — At the River Side
  3. Chapter III. — Whence She Came
  4. Chapter IV. — The Doctor Speaks
  5. Chapter V. — The Doctor Acts
  6. Chapter VI. — Miriam Benary
  7. Chapter VII. — Within an Ace
  8. Chapter VIII. — A Chance Acquaintance
  9. Chapter IX. — Josephine Writes
  10. Chapter X. — Josephine Explains
  11. Chapter XI. — Reassurance
  12. Chapter XII. — The Doctor's Dilemma
  13. Chapter XIII. — Nature Begins Reprisals
  14. Chapter XIV. — Alter Ego

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About this edition

This free edition of Two Women or One? From the Mss. of Dr. Leonard Benary by Henry Harland comes from Project Gutenberg eBook #51986, released 2016-05-03. 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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