Charlotte Temple

The novel's protagonist, Charlotte is a tall, elegant girl of 15, attending Madame Du Pont's school for girls when the novel opens. Two years earlier, she catches the eye of British Army Lt. John Montraville at a ball. As he prepares to ship out to the war in America, Montraville wrestles with whether he should strike up a relationship, and slips Charlotte a note, requesting to see her. Charlotte has fallen under the bad influence of her French teacher, Mlle. La Rue, who attends church services in order to flirt and receive invitations to parties. She takes Charlotte to one, which the girl finds repulsively wanton. For this, she is called a prude. La Rue and John's fellow officer, Belcour, reinforce John's arguments for eloping with him to America, finally breaking her will not to hurt her beloved parents. Still, the ride from school to Portsmouth is traumatic...