THE SLAVES OF SOCIETY A Comedy in Covers _By_ THE MAN WHO HEARD SOMETHING [Illustration] NEW YORK AND LONDON HARPER & BROTHERS 1900 Copyright, 1900, by HARPER & BROTHERS. _All rights reserved._ CONTENTS SCENE PAGE I. A MOTHER’S CARES 1 II. THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE 19 III. THE SLAVE OF ALDERMAN DOBBIN 28 IV. THE NOTORIOUS BELLE YORKE 55 V. A PERSON OF IMPORTANCE 82 VI. WHAT PEOPLE SAID 98 VII. A QUESTION OF CHEMISTRY 115 VIII. CINDERELLA 128 IX. AND THE PRINCE 143 X. “A MARRIAGE HAS BEEN ARRANGED” 158 XI. “AND WILL SHORTLY TAKE PLACE” 172 XII. THE LONG ARM OF MR. DESPENCER 189 XIII. THE MARCHIONESS AT BAY 214 XIV. PISTOLS FOR TWO 224 XV. A MISFORTUNE FOR SOCIETY 237 THE SLAVES OF SOCIETY SCENE I A MOTHER’S CARES “After all,” sighed the marchioness, as she conveyed a three-cornered piece of muffin from the silver chafing-dish to her mouth, and nibbled delicately at one of the corners--“after all, what are we but slaves of society?” Mr. Despencer extended a hand almost as white and slender as the marchioness’s own, and abstracted a small cube of sugar from the porcelain basin, of the thinness and transparency of a sea-shell, on the marchioness’s silver tray, while he meditated a becoming response. “Yes,” he exclaimed, giving his head a slow, mournful movement from side to side, “you are right. We are no better off than prisoners on the treadmill. Even you are but a bird of paradise held captive in a gilded cage.” The bird of paradise removed the piece of muffin from its beak to turn a pair of bright, steel-blue eyes on the speaker, gazing at him for some moments as though in doubt whether to accept this beautiful sentiment as a tribute or to rebuke it as a familiarity.