Other editions of book The House of the Four Winds

The Republican Government of Evallonia is failing, and there is a throne waiting for someone. But there are two claimants, and each one is so strong that the kingdom hangs in the balance. The Glasgow gang known as the Gorbals Die-hards cannot resist the temptation to get involved in such a tantalising situation. One by one they turn up where the danger appears keenest, ostensibly for the most peaceable reasons. But they are soon plotting and scheming as deeply as the citizens of Evallonia. Jaikie Galt is lured into the plot by Randal Glynde (who steps in at an upper window one night from the back of an elephant). Dickson McCunn, the middle-aged grocer, impersonates an archduke, wearing the purple as if born to it, and of course Archie Roylance and Dougal are there too.

The Republican Government of Evallonia is failing, and there is a throne waiting for someone. But there are two claimants, and each one is so strong that the kingdom hangs in the balance. The Glasgow gang known as the Gorbals Die-hards cannot resist the temptation to get involved in such a tantalising situation. One by one they turn up where the danger appears keenest, ostensibly for the most peaceable reasons. But they are soon plotting and scheming as deeply as the citizens of Evallonia. Jaikie Galt is lured into the plot by Randal Glynde (who steps in at an upper window one night from the back of an elephant). Dickson McCunn, the middle-aged grocer, impersonates an archduke, wearing the purple as if born to it, and of course Archie Roylance and Dougal are there too.

The Republican Government of Evallonia is failing, and there is a throne waiting for someone. But there are two claimants, and each one is so strong that the kingdom hangs in the balance. The Glasgow gang known as the Gorbals Die-hards cannot resist the temptation to get involved in such a tantalising situation. One by one they turn up where the danger appears keenest, ostensibly for the most peaceable reasons. But they are soon plotting and scheming as deeply as the citizens of Evallonia. Jaikie Galt is lured into the plot by Randal Glynde (who steps in at an upper window one night from the back of an elephant). Dickson McCunn, the middle-aged grocer, impersonates an archduke, wearing the purple as if born to it, and of course Archie Roylance and Dougal are there too.

"The House of the Four Winds" is a novel of adventure by John Buchan, first published in 1935. It is a Ruritanian romance, and the last of his three Dickson McCunn books.The novel is set in the fictional Central European country of Evallonia in the early 1930s. It concerns the involvement of some Scottish visitors in the overthrow of a corrupt republic and the restoration of the monarchy. Scottish grocer Dickson McCunn features in his most exciting role. Gorbals Die-hards, Jaikie and his pals, are now dabbling in politics. On his trek across Europe, Jaikie is warned to avoid Evallonia. It is in danger of being overthrown by the cruel Mastrovin. However Jaikie cannot resist taking a look and ends up being kidnapped twice. Moreover, he is not the only one needing to be rescued, and Evallonia’s fate hangs in the balance until Dickson McCunn appears on the scene.It is a sequel to "Huntingtower" and "Castle Gay", in which some Evallonians visited Scotland on a secret mission two years before the start of this novel.

The Republican Government of Evallonia is failing, and there is a throne waiting for someone. But there are two claimants, and each one is so strong that the kingdom hangs in the balance. The Glasgow gang known as the Gorbals Die-hards cannot resist the temptation to get involved in such a tantalising situation. One by one they turn up where the danger appears keenest, ostensibly for the most peaceable reasons. But they are soon plotting and scheming as deeply as the citizens of Evallonia. Jaikie Galt is lured into the plot by Randal Glynde (who steps in at an upper window one night from the back of an elephant). Dickson McCunn, the middle-aged grocer, impersonates an archduke, wearing the purple as if born to it, and of course Archie Roylance and Dougal are there too.