The Return of Alfred: Free Audiobook and Listening Guide

The Return of Alfred, credited to Herbert George Jenkins, is available as a LibriVox volunteer audiobook. This guide identifies the recording, its source summary and its audio tracks.

About the work

The LibriVox catalogue summary, preserved with the recording, reads:

LibriVox recording of The Return of Alfred, by Herbert George Jenkins. Read by Anna Simon. The hero of the book is at a loose end, weary and bored of his old life after returning from the Great War. After an argument with his uncle and a railway strike he finds himself lost in the county of Norfolk at ten o’clock one night. When he seeks shelter in a country home, the butler immediately recognizes him as “Mr. Alfred”, the missing son of the house. From that point onwards, our hero, who gives his name as “James Smith”, finds himself in for an exciting time. Not only does he inherit the friends of “Mr. Alfred”, but also the odium of his misdoings. Protestations are useless: the villagers are convinced he is the prodigal son. Of course, he could just leave the village – but then, had he not been hoping for something exciting to happen – and more importantly, what about Marjorie, the girl at the window? Originally published anonymously, this romantic comedy was just signed “by the author of “Patricia Brent, Spinster” (a book that was also published anonymously) with a dedication: “To those in many countries who have generously assumed responsibility for the authorship of Patricia Brent, Spinster – this book is dedicated by the author”.

Recording facts

• Recording title: The Return of Alfred
• Author credits: Herbert George Jenkins
• Language: English
• Original MP3 tracks: 24
• Listed recording duration: 9:01:14

Catalogue topics

• fiction
• romantic comedy
• Jenkins
• prodigal
• mistaken identity

Track guide

1. 01 - The Girl at the Window — 32:23
2. 02 - A Question of Identity — 25:08
3. 03 - What the Butler Told — 18:15
4. 04 - The Vicar Decides to Act — 22:11
5. 05 - Little Bilstead Receives a Shock — 23:41
6. 06 - The Strangeness of Marjorie — 31:24
7. 07 - Little Bilstead Sits in Judgment — 24:24
8. 08 - Eric Stannard Promises Support — 18:26
9. 09 - Miss Lipscombe Decides on Neutrality — 15:20
10. 10 - Smith Acquires Reach-me-downs — 16:55
11. 11 - Mr. Tassell is Surprised — 19:19
12. 12 - Little Bilstead Goes to Church — 19:31
13. 13 - Nero in Disgrace — 18:41
14. 14 - Smith becomes a Popular Hero — 46:34
15. 15 - A Village divided against Itself — 24:58
16. 16 - P.C. Postle assumes his uniform — 11:43
17. 17 - Mr Gadgett pays a call — 30:14
18. 18 - Eric plays a part — 22:31
19. 19 - Sir John Hildreth inserts an Advertisement — 16:57
20. 20 - Little Bilstead aches with Drama — 29:52
21. 21 - Marjorie hears the News — 15:36
22. 22 - The Unmasking of Smith — 17:31
23. 23 - Mr Gadgett tells the Truth — 17:07
24. 24 - Eric pronounces it spif — 22:41

Listen to this recording

Open the complete recording and player on Internet Archive. The player includes the full track list and available download formats.

Source and rights

This is a record from LibriVox's official Internet Archive collection, with a public-domain licence recorded in its metadata. LibriVox's policy includes its catalogue summaries as well as its recordings. Its public-domain assessment follows United States law; copyright status can differ elsewhere. The summary and track facts are reproduced and reformatted from that record. Dates attached to the archive upload are not treated as original book publication dates.