The Beggar Maid (Masterplots II: Short Story Series, Revised Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: Alice Laidlaw
- First Published: 1977
- Type of Plot: Domestic realism
- Time of Work: The early 1950's
- Setting: Ontario, Canada
- Principal Characters: Rose, Flo, Dr. Henshawe, Patrick Blatchford
- Genres: Short fiction, Domestic realism
- Subjects: 1950’s, Marriage, Class consciousness, College life, Divorce, Working class, Canada or Canadians, Separation, Students or student life
- Locales: Ontario, Canada
The Story
After growing up in the little town of Hanratty, Ontario, Rose wins a scholarship to a prestigious Canadian university. During her first semester there, she finds a comfortable place to live, a part-time job, and a male admirer. She meets Patrick at the campus library when she is working a weekend shift, reshelving books, and he is one of the few people studying there. When she asks him if he has seen a man who has just grabbed her in the almost deserted building, he rushes to her defense. Rose can tell at once that he is both high-minded and high-strung—a nervous...
[The entire page is 1445 words long]
