legitimacy. In the end, the mystery of Edgar's past is revealed, with the aid of old letters hidden in a bureau and a visitor who is unusually interested in the
Ardens' lives.]]> ]]> Descriptive Lists of American, International, Romantic and British Novels (1891): “A happy marriage overshadowed to the wife by the one great sorrow of her life, the loss of her only child in its first infancy – the husband, kind, loving, indolent, a rich country gentleman, whose very ‘ease’ soaks up his talents, rendering them unfruitful – an orphan relative whom they adopt . . .”]]> The Westminster Review (1875): “Mr. Francillon cannot be dull . . . We cannot say that we care much for the Major with his Irish brogue and his Bohemian manners, but the adventures of Olympia in her disguise are decidedly amusing. Firefly, too, is a most original actress, and her philosophy of love is worth studying.” This is a novel that includes actresses, theatres, and a love triangle.]]> The Literary World (1882) remarked, “The only point of resemblance between Mr. Francillon’s heroine and King Cophetua lies in her marriage to a ‘beggar’ after she had decided never to marry.” Harry Reid, the owner of the Copleston Estate, dies, leaving a widow, a son, Alan, and a daughter, Helen. With good intentions the mother deceives her children into believing that they are penniless when they are not. Two Americans enter the picture, one good, the other not so. The widow Reid’s plans go awry, and what will Helen do?]]>