Fair Play

On a bright June morning at Bellemont College, four dazzling young women gather beneath the magnolias before commencement and reveal themselves as the famed "Four Belles of Bellemont": Britomarte Conyers, the militant reformer; Erminie, the gentle preacher's daughter; Elfrida, the lively prankster; and Alberta, the dignified heiress. Their talk of dress, love, and marriage quickly becomes a spirited argument over women's rights, money, and independence, with Britomarte denouncing unjust marriage laws, Alberta defending security and comfort, and Erminie dreaming of sacred self-surrender to a worthy husband. Elfrida lightens the debate with a comic tale of operatic infatuation, exposing the gulf between theatrical illusion and real life, while Britomarte's sharp reaction hints at a deeper wound in her own past. That private pain surfaces as Erminie gently probes her friend's hatred of men, and the conversation turns to family devotion, duty, and the sacrifices that shape adulthood. The novel then shifts into a world of domestic peril and political unrest, where a Union-loving father survives a mob attack with his brave daughter Elfie at his side. Safe under Dr. Rosenthal's roof, the household becomes a center of covert activity, secret visitors, and mounting tension, until Goldsborough bursts in accusing someone of abducting his daughter from a convent. Romance, family honor, and wartime loyalties collide as hidden alliances and personal passions move toward crisis. This edition has been fully restored with modern typesetting, custom cover design.