The Dime Library: Chris Cowsley's Winning Hand

Museum Catalog Entry *Chris Crewley's Winning Hand: The Rascally Valet's Double Game. A Story of Detective Life in Washington*, by A. P. Morris, Jr. (serialized; Chapter I: "The Queen of the Tapestried Room"). A gothic-tinged melodrama set in Richmond during a violent storm. The narrative centers on Orle, a beautiful young woman of eighteen confined to an elaborately furnished room with Meg Semper, a withered, elderly woman bound to her by oath. When Reginald Darnley, a handsome, fashionable young man, visits Orle, he announces he must abandon her for his previous betrothed, Cecilia Bernard, to whom he owes honor and duty. Orle, who believes Reginald loves only her and has reformed through her influence, desperately protests his departure. The scene emphasizes Orle's emotional distress and hints at the sinister nature of her relationship with the hateful Meg Semper, who harbors violent intentions toward Darnley.