Rose Clark. by Fanny Fern [Pseud.]

Rose Clark, a penniless orphan, tirelessly strives to be reunited with Vincent L'Estrange Vincent, the father of her child. She maintains that they were legally married before their estrangement and that she is therefore not an unwed mother, a claim that most people reject. During her quest, she meets a divorced artist, Gertrude Dean, who helps her to navigate life on the fringes of polite society.