Hume, Fergus 1859-1932 creator text utu 2004 monographic en 1 online resource : multiple file formats "Madame Midas" by Fergus Hume is a novel written in the late 19th century that explores themes of ambition, betrayal, and the consequences of wealth. The story opens with vivid descriptions of a desolate Australian coastline and introduces two men, one a cunning Frenchman and the other his mute companion, who have escaped from a French prison. Their arrival on this inhospitable land sets the stage for their pursuit of fortune, particularly in the context of gold mining, highlighting the desperate and often treacherous nature of their ambitions. The opening of "Madame Midas" presents a dramatic and atmospheric setting, introducing the characters in two parallel narrative arcs. Initially, we follow the escapees as they arrive at the Australian shores, driven by dreams of wealth and freedom. This is juxtaposed with the backstory of Robert Curtis’s daughter, Mrs. Villiers, who has rebuilt her life and achieved respectability as a gold mine owner after a tumultuous marriage. The stage is set for conflict as her estranged husband returns seeking to reclaim power over her, while new characters enter her life, indicating the intertwined fates driven by their aspirations and the quest for fortune that defines their existence in the gold-rush era of Australia. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Release date is 2004-01-01 Text file produced by Charles Franks and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team HTML file produced by David Widger Original publication data not identified Australia -- Fiction Mineral industries -- Australia -- Fiction PR Original publication data not identified https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4946 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/4946 UtSlPG 260607 20260610133132.0 4946