# A Bid for Fortune — Chapters explained

> Chapter companions for A Bid for Fortune by Guy Boothby.

- [Prologue](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/prologue.md): The manager of the Imperial Restaurant, Mr. McPherson, is perplexed by a mysterious letter from Dr. Nikola, written three months earlier from Cuyaba, Brazil, ordering a dinner for four on a specific date. Despite his dou
- [I: I Determine to Take a Holiday—Sydney, and What Befell Me There](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-i-i-determine-to-take-a-holiday-sydney-and-what-befell-me-there.md): Richard Hatteras introduces himself as a pearler and trader from Thursday Island, now wealthy after years of hard work. He decides to take a holiday to England to visit his father's birthplace. In Sydney, he encounters a
- [II: London](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-ii-london.md): Richard Hatteras recounts his first impressions of London and his anxious wait for a letter from his sweetheart Phyllis. They meet at the British Museum, where he gives her a ring as a token of his love. After she leaves
- [III: I Visit My Relations](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-iii-i-visit-my-relations.md): The narrator travels to the English countryside to visit his father's family. He meets his miserly uncle, Sir William Hatteras, who lives in a decaying ancestral hall. Sir William initially mistakes him for a fortune-see
- [IV: I Save an Important Life](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-iv-i-save-an-important-life.md): The narrator, Richard Hatteras, travels to Bournemouth to hire a yacht called the Enchantress. After inspecting and chartering the vessel, he sets sail around the Isle of Wight. During the voyage, he rescues a young bath
- [V: Mystery](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-v-mystery.md): Hatteras receives a visit from the Duke of Glenbarth, who thanks him for saving his son's life. Hatteras inquires about the tutor Baxter, whose face seems familiar, but the Duke knows little of his past. Later, Hatteras 
- [I Meet Dr. Nikola Again](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-vi-i-meet-dr-nikola-again.md): Hatteras, having booked passage to Australia, unexpectedly meets his old friend Jim Percival in London. They visit Percival's ship, the Yarraman, and Hatteras reunites with former shipmates. After a convivial evening, Ha
- [VII: Port Said, and What Befell Us There](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-vii-port-said-and-what-befell-us-there.md): Hatteras boards the steamer Saratoga in Naples, reunites with Lord Beckenham and Mr. Baxter, and the voyage begins. After a severe bout of seasickness, Beckenham recovers as they reach Port Said. They go ashore, where Be
- [Our Imprisonment and Attempt at Escape](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-viii-our-imprisonment-and-attempt-at-escape.md): The narrator regains consciousness to find himself and the Marquis of Beckenham imprisoned in a small, dark room, each chained to the wall by an iron collar. After days of failed escape attempts, they devise a plan to ca
- [Dr. Nikola Permits Us a Free Passage](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-i-ix-dr-nikola-permits-us-a-free-passage.md): Hatteras and Beckenham, having escaped their imprisonment, attempt to locate the house where they were held. Hatteras visits the Saratoga's agent and learns that Beckenham supposedly sailed on to Australia, deepening the
- [I: We Reach Australia, and the Result](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-ii-i-we-reach-australia-and-the-result.md): The narrator and Lord Beckenham arrive in Australia after a long voyage. Beckenham is haunted by memories of Dr. Nikola. They settle in Sydney and begin investigating the mystery. The narrator visits Phyllis, who reveals
- [II: On the Trail](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-ii-ii-on-the-trail.md): Hatteras and Wetherell return home from Government House, hoping to find Phyllis safe, but she is not there. They question the coachman Thompson, who reveals he was drugged by a man matching Dr. Nikola's description. Hat
- [Lord Beckenham's Story](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-ii-iii-lord-beckenham-s-story.md): Lord Beckenham recounts his abduction by Dr. Nikola and Mr. Draper after a chance encounter in the botanical gardens. He describes being mesmerized by Nikola and held captive, while Hatteras and the Inspector investigate
- [Following Up a Clue](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-ii-iv-following-up-a-clue.md): Richard Hatteras receives a mysterious visitor who offers information about Phyllis's whereabouts for a fee, then visits the solicitors Dawson & Gladman, who inform him that he has inherited a baronetcy and substantial e
- [V: The Islands and What We Found There](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-ii-v-the-islands-and-what-we-found-there.md): During the voyage through the South Pacific, Wetherell recounts to the narrator the story of how he first encountered Dr. Nikola. He describes his earlier career as a barrister, his defense of a man named China Pete, and
- [Conclusion](https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters/part-ii-vi-conclusion.md): The final chapter resolves the narrative with Richard Hatteras and Phyllis Wetherell's marriage, the revelation of Hatteras's inherited baronetcy, and the return to England. Phyllis recounts her abduction from the ball, 

HTML index: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/a_bid_for_fortune_se/chapters