A gripping tale of conspiracy and a love triangle set against the background of 19th century New York City.
The Toltec Cup was published in 1890 by A. C. Wheeler under the pseudonym of "Nym Crinkle." A tale of conspiracy and love triangles, the novel centers on a mysterious silver cup covered in hieroglyphs that goes missing just days after its owner's death. New York Police Inspector John Wilder grows suspicious when someone offers a huge reward for the cup's return. Wilder traces the reward to Colin Carteret, an artist engaged to the murdered man's daughter, who swears he did not know of the cup before the reward appeared in the newspaper. Together, the two men follow a trail of clues that lead them to New York City slums, a beautiful young woman named Manuella Castleton, and a syndicate that believes that the cup will lead to an extraordinary buried treasure.
Contemporary readers will enjoy the novel's remarkable depictions of mid-nineteenth-century New York City. Roaming the Gas House District, the Bowery, Union Square, Harlem, and the Meatpacking District, The Toltec Cup explores a dynamic landscape and diverse peoples. This new edition revives a forgotten world for a new generation of readers.
Table of Contents:
New Introduction
Erick Kelemen
Dedication
1. The Advertisement in the Herald
2. O'Reardon's Terrace
3. "What is that Woman Afraid of?"
4. John Wilder Stumbles on the First Fact
5. Wilder Stumbles on the First Clue
6. The Ghost in the Shrubbery
7. Mr. Seymour is Nonplussed
8. Therese Thibeaudeau's Story
9. Within an Inch of the Cup
10. Mr. Plonski Shakes Hands with Himself
11. "'Twixt the Cup and the Lip"
12. The Arrest of Manuella
13. A Return from the Dead
14. Mr. Plonski Outwits Wilder
15. Mr. Carteret becomes a Knight
16. It Must Be One of those Magical Cups
17. Off with the Old and on with the New
18. "But What Did You Do with the Cup, Grandpa?"
19. The Responsibilities of a Brother
20. Rosamond Goes into Art, too
21. Love Searches for the Cup
22. Miss Enniston has a Spasm
23. Carteret goes to the Opera
24. Love Tracks the Cup to the Silversmith's
25. Love in the Park
26. Mrs. Follen Sanger Gets a Shock
27. Rose Enniston Goes on the Warpath
28. A Premonition of the Riots
29. Love takes to the Country
30. The Abduction of Manuella
31. Carteret Starts in Search
32. The Descent into Hell
33. Mr. Manser Opens the Water Gate
34. Officer Wilder Reaches the End of His Rope
35. O, Colin, Colin, this is not like you
36. On the Edge of the Mystery
37. Captain Job Ackerman's Narrative
38. A Paper Hunt
39. Wilder Takes His Life in His Hands
40. Love Passes Under a Cloud
41. An Encounter in the Academy
42. McCune is Hunted like a Rat
43. Resolution Ends in Rhyme
44. Mr. Burton Takes a Hand
45. Plonski Falls into the Trap
46. Dr. Ferris Looks into a Heart
47. The Return of the Princess
48. Miramon Comes on the Scene
49. Love Ends in Despair
50. Just Before Easter
51. Love Opens a Correspondence
52. The Conspirators Disagree
53. Kiss and Make up
54. Mr. Stonybrook is Rejected
55. Sowing the Whirlwind
56. The Last Desperate Attempt
57. The Recovery of the Cup
58. Murder Most Foul
59. Hours of Terror and Dismay
60. Mr. Plonski's Final Triumph
61. Plonski Makes Off with the Cup
62. Love Lies Bleeding
63. Mr. Kleinbacker turns out to be a Good Angel
Conclusion
