Arctic summer, and other fiction

Embarking on a tour of Italy with his wife and mother-in-law, Martin Whitby slips and falls under a train. Owing his rescue to the quick thinking of a young soldier, he feels obliged to thank the youth and so pursues the acquaintance. The two men differ sharply in outlook and opinion, however, and part rudely. But once back in England, Martin finds himself called upon by the soldier with an urgent request for help. British novelist E.M. Forster (1879-1971) is the author of several 20th-century classics, including A Room with a View, Howard's End, and A Passage to India.