Dundee Advertiser.--"Ambrose Pratt is to be heartily congratulated on the imaginary gifts and the marvellous ingenuity displayed in his book. It is one of absorbing interest, and the reader pursues with almost breathless eagerness the many and varied experiences of Lord Francis Crossingham, the brave hero of the book." The People's Journal.--"There have been many Nihilist novels written, but few which contain the grip and strength of Mr. Ambrose Pratt's story. His plot is daring to a degree. It is worked out with an ingenuity which cannot but appeal to all those readers who like a cleverly-constructed romance in which the interest is kept up to the end." The Evening News.--"A novel never to be forgotten." Belfast Northern Whig.--"A story which keeps the reader absorbed all the time." The Dublin Daily Express.--"A novel which should be eagerly read, and anyone who reads it will look eagerly for further books from Mr. Pratt's pen." The Newcastle Chronicle.--"Tremendously exciting." Southport Visitor.--"Crowded with incident, is full of excitement, and abounds in dramatic and delicate situations." Leeds Mercury.--"Written in vigorous and dashing style, the story will certainly commend itself to a wide circle of readers." FIRST PERSON PARAMOUNT [Frontispiece: "In another second I had him by the throat." (Page 189) _First Person Paramount_] [_Frontispiece_] FIRST PERSON PARAMOUNT BY AMBROSE PRATT AUTHOR OF "VIGOROUS DAUNT: BILLIONAIRE," ETC., ETC. _ILLUSTRATED BY J. MACFARLANE_ LONDON WARD, LOCK & CO., LIMITED 1908 CONTENTS CHAPTER I The House in Curzon Street CHAPTER II The Foundation of a Fortune CHAPTER III The Kingsmere Hospital for Consumptives CHAPTER IV The Operation CHAPTER V The Campaign Opens CHAPTER VI A Battle of Wits CHAPTER VII A Dream of Love CHAPTER VIII Torture CHAPTER IX "The Anglo-American Hotels, Limited" CHAPTER X The House among the Pines FIRST PERSON PARAMOUNT I THE HOUSE IN CURZON STREET