The Woman in White The First Epoch: The Story Begun by Walter Hartright: Introduction - IV (Walter Hartright)

In which Walter Hartright, a modest drawing-master, is unexpectedly offered a country position through the enthusiastic intercession of his small but devoted friend, Professor Pesca, and soon after, on a late and sultry night in London, he encounters a solitary and mysterious woman clad entirely in white, whose presence and peculiar manner provoke a deep curiosity and unease. Their brief, enigmatic conversation leads to her sudden departure into the darkness, leaving Walter to wrestle with an undefined sense of duty and shadowy forebodings that silently subscribe to the mood of the unfolding tale.