Acceptance of Their Ways (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Mavis de Trafford Young
- First Published: 1960
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The late 1950's
- Setting: Italian Riviera
- Principal Characters: Lily Littel, Vanessa Freeport, Edith Garnett
- Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: 1950’s, Class consciousness, England or English people, Hotels, motels, or inns, Landlords or tenants, Drinking or drunkenness, Servants, Aristocracy or aristocrats, Widows or widowers, Tourist trade, Italy or Italians
- Locales: Italy, Riviera
The Story
Lily Littel is a rather wilted “Lily-girl” from London, with champagne taste on a ginger-ale budget. Although her name and accent betray humble social origins, she aspires to live like the aristocracy. She lost her working-class husband, Cliff, during World War II, or perhaps simply lost interest in him, and began calling herself “Miss” Littel. She served for eight years as the paid companion of an elderly lady and received a modest bequest in the lady's will. She now spends most of the year in a pensione on the Italian Riviera, which is all that her...
[The entire page is 1393 words long]

