10 h 55 minAudiobook11 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
In the fog on Waterloo Bridge, a woman risks her life to stop a desperate man from taking another.
Midnight sounds through London's thick fog. An elderly gentleman loses his way on Waterloo Bridge, pays a ragged boy for directions, and hears a whistle. Soon, a stranger seizes his throat. In Fergus Hume's A Woman's Burden, the distance between comfort and danger shrinks to a few steps across wet stone.
Miriam rushes to the gentleman's aid and calls his attacker Jabez. He claims their hunger justifies his violence; she refuses to let him kill. When a constable arrives, suspicion falls on the woman who intervenes. Her courage meets a world quick to judge by appearances, where poverty and respectability receive very different treatment.
What you’ll discover
- A bridge swallowed by fog Dim lamps, cold stone, and an unseen river turn a crossing into a threat.
- Miriam's dangerous stand Meet a woman who puts herself at risk rather than allow a killing.
- Hunger against conscience Jabez invokes their shared starvation, but Miriam refuses to accept his brutal answer.
- Respectability under pressure A gentleman's fur coat and Miriam's treatment expose the sharp divide between their positions.
- Suspicion after rescue The constable's response adds fresh unease when Miriam should have reason to feel safe.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy Victorian settings, foggy London, village gossip and secrets from the past will find plenty here. It suits anyone drawn to strong heroines, family loyalty, and a murder that hangs over a whole parish.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- A rescue on Waterloo Bridge
- A strange bargain at the Pitt Hotel
- A governess among enemies
- Barton's terrible reason
- A walk in the woods and a hard truth
- Secrets in the churchyard
- A Christmas dinner and a death
- Accusations and an escape to London
- The burden of a loving heart
- How the story is told
Who’s who
- Miriam CraneA sea captain's daughter, brave and honest, who saves a stranger on Waterloo Bridge and spends her life carrying other people's burdens.
- Richard BartonThe squire of Lesser Thorpe, a cold, rat-like man with a hold over others and a plan for revenge on his dead sister.
- Gerald ArkelBarton's handsome, sunny nephew, who loves pleasure and dodges work and needs a strong hand to keep him from ruin.
- Hilda MarshA pretty doctor's daughter raised to marry money, who wants a rich husband and a way out of poverty.
- Mrs. Dacre DarrowBarton's vain, whining niece, who plays the martyr, hates Miriam and spends her days spying on and gossiping about her.
- Major John DundasBarton's other nephew, a plain, honest soldier who admires Miriam and wants to do what is right.
- Mrs. ParsleyThe vicar's blunt, bossy wife, who rules the parish, rubs her nose when puzzled and takes Miriam under her wing.
- JabezMiriam's desperate, ungrateful companion from her days of poverty, who keeps asking her for money and puts her in danger.
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- Audiobook
- 10 h 55 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 11 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
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- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
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A Woman's Burden
by Fergus Hume · 1900
A starving woman saves a stranger on Waterloo Bridge, and his strange plan for her follows her to a village.
Medium level10–20 hours to read25 languages
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In short
A Woman's Burden is a Victorian mystery novel by Fergus Hume, the Englishman best known for crime fiction set in the foggy streets and quiet villages of his day. It follows Miriam Crane, a sea captain's daughter who falls into poverty in London and carries other people's troubles for most of her life.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
A rescue on Waterloo Bridge
The book opens at midnight in a thick London fog. A plague of smoke has darkened the city, and the poor and hungry huddle on Waterloo Bridge, tempted by the river below. An elderly, well-dressed gentleman has lost his way and asks a ragged boy which bridge he is on. The boy takes his coin, and soon a man named Jabez grabs the gentleman by the throat.
Then a woman rushes up and begs Jabez to let go. She is Miriam, and she knows him from her hungry days. When he refuses, she climbs onto the parapet and swears she will throw herself into the river. Jabez gives way, the old man is freed, and a constable with a lantern appears. The policeman takes one look at her red hair and gaunt face and calls her a bad lot.
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What is A Woman's Burden about?
It tells of Miriam Crane, a penniless woman who saves an old man on Waterloo Bridge. He hires her as a governess for a hidden purpose, and she is drawn into family secrets, blackmail and a murder.
Who is Jabez in A Woman's Burden?
Jabez is the man who attacks Barton on the bridge and whom Miriam shields. He is tied to her past, and his need for money and his dangerous temper keep threatening her new life.
Who is the Shadow in the book?
The Shadow is the tall, thin man in black who does secret work for Barton and warns Miriam about Jabez. He is a haunted figure with his own history and links to Barton's family.
The author
Fergus Hume
1859–1932 · English mystery novelist
Fergus Hume (1859–1932) was a British novelist born in England. He grew up in Dunedin, New Zealand, and moved to Melbourne, Australia, in 1885. He published The Mystery of a Hansom Cab in 1886. He returned to England in 1888 and continued writing crime novels, including The Green Mummy.
More by Fergus Hume
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