The Battle of Life: A Love Story

Two sisters Grace and Marion live happily in an English village with their two servants Clemency Newcome and Ben Britain and their good-natured widower father Dr Jeddler. Dr Jeddler is a man whose philosophy is to treat life as a farce. Marion the younger sister is betrothed to Alfred Heathfield Jeddler’s ward who is leaving the village to complete his studies. He entrusts Marion to Grace’s care and makes a promise to return to win Marion’s hand. Michael Warden a libertine who is about to leave the country is thought by the solicitors Snitchey and Craggs to be about to seduce the younger sister into an elopement. Clemency spies Marion one night in her clandestine rendezvous with Warden. On the day that Alfred is to return however it is discovered that Marion has run off. Her supposed elopement causes much grief to both her father and her sister.