The Unfortunate Sex
Summary
James Harrington’s hubris manifests in the cold disposal of his newborn daughter, Peggy, an act of patriarchal cruelty predicated on the disappointment of her gender. Consigned to the shadows of the urban underworld, Peggy matures under the tutelage of a benevolent criminal, her identity forged in the crucible of newsstands and back-alleys. Her trajectory shifts upon encountering George Bentley, a legal luminary who orchestrates her transition from an accomplice of the fringe to a tool of state justice. By betraying the notorious Spike Kelly, Peggy secures a bounty that facilitates her metamorphosis within the hallowed halls of a finishing school. Meanwhile, Bentley navigates the labyrinth of Harrington’s past, unearthing a man hollowed by his own unnatural abandonment. The narrative culminates in a symphonic reconciliation of the fractured Harrington lineage, punctuated by a matrimonial proposal that seeks to dismantle the titular label of her 'unfortunate' sex, framing her destiny no longer as a biological tragedy but as a social triumph.
Synopsis
Given away by her wealthy father, James Harrington, as an infant because she was born a female, Peggy has been raised by a kindly underworld crook. One day, while selling papers at the news stand, Peggy meets rising young attorney George Bentley who convinces her to aid the police in capturing Spike Kelly, a notorious member of her foster parent's gang. Peggy complies, and with her reward attends finishing school while Bentley tracks down her natural father who, having estranged his wife by his unnatural deed, is now remorseful. After reconciling husband, wife, and daughter, the young lawyer proposes to Peggy, assuring her that she should no longer consider herself a member of the unfortunate sex.
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