the outbreak of war in 1914, and Franklin deciding to return to the US, leaving the bulk of his fortune in England for his wife and her family. At the last moment, he changes his mind, and the reader is left unsure whether he intends to return to his unfaithful wife, to possibly accompany Samson who plans to serve in the Legion of Frontiersmen under Frederick Selous, or something else entirely. Proposed adaptation In 1983 Sir Lew Grade announced he would make the book as an eight-hour miniseries. No miniseries has resulted. References 1980 British novels Historical novels Fiction set in 1909 Novels set in Liverpool Novels by George MacDonald Fraser Novels set in Norfolk William Collins, Sons books