An Australian heiress pays a baronet for introduction into English society.
Charles Hamilton Aïdé (1826-1906) wrote some 17 novels between 1858 and 1901, most of them, like this one, social comedies in genteel settings.
“A bright, readable tale, written in excellent English, and containing plenty of clever dialogue.” Athenaeum, March 15, 1884
“In all Mr. Hamilton Aïdé’s novels, good-taste and moderation are as conspicuous as knowledge of the world, and a certain subdued romance which is a pleasant corrective of the pessimism that ‘Society’ novels must reveal unless they are utterly vulgar. . . . Some scenes in this too brief story have genuine beauty, others are humorous and caustic, and the whole story is good.” Spectator, April 5, 1884
Download this week’s novel:
https://solo.bodleian.ox.ac.uk/permalink/44OXF_INST/35n82s/alma990146506930107026