Summary
In gas-lit 18th-century London, Sally Temple—Drury Lane’s incandescent tragedienne—moonlights as the clandestine patron saint of Pump Lane, slipping guineas into the calloused palms of ribbon-weavers while the Duke of Chatto’s bailiffs sniff for blood. A forged betrothal, a runaway ward, and a three-day masquerade hurl Sally into a gilded cage: she must impersonate Lady Pamela before the rapacious Lord Romsey returns to claim his bride and her fortune. Gold-threaded gowns replace sack-cloth; powdered wigs eclipse the greasepaint; yet the stagecraft of the heart proves messier than any melodrama. Romsey, half-libertine, half-romantic, locks his supposed ward in a silk-lined oubliette, vowing immediate matrimony. Sally bolts, collides with Jellitt—a pugilist whose fists are registered lethal weapons—and together they sprint toward a rumbling mail-coach. Pursuit, revelation, bruised knuckles, and a moonlit oath follow: Romsey, humbled by love rather than conquered by force, dons a soot-smeared blouse and re-enters Sally’s world as a nameless laborer. Blacksmith bellows, clandestine assignations, and a final abduction by the Duke set the stage for a triumphant showdown: Romsey unmasks, brandishes ancestral title like a rapier, purchases Pump Lane outright, and bestows it upon the actress who once pawned her tiara to pay a widow’s rent. Torchlight procession, collective jubilation, two silhouettes disappearing into a Covent Garden dawn—curtain.
Synopsis
Sally Temple, an actress at the Drury Lane Theatre, is benefactress and idol of the people of Pump Lane, where she lives. They are continually oppressed by their landlord, the Duke of Chatto, and to help them Sally gives them of her own money. Lady Pamela, ward of the wealthy and reckless Lord Romsey, marries three weeks before she is of age, and when the news that he is to be home in three days reaches her, it is suggested that someone take her place, otherwise Lord Romsey might seize her property. They choose Sally as the substitute, promising her ample remuneration. She accepts, that she may be able to help her people more. Talbot, the Duke of Chatto's agent, sees Sally on one of his visits to Pump Lane and tells his master of her beauty. Romsey loses no time in calling, but finds Sally is away. Having never seen his ward, the deception is a success, but when Romsey attempts to exercise his authority and Sally rebels, he locks her in her boudoir. He tells Sally she must marry him at once and she runs away. She encounters Jellitt, a prize fighter, who offers his protection. As she mounts the steps of a stagecoach, Romsey reaches her and she tells him of the deception, but he is still determined to marry her. As he starts to drag her from the coach. Jellitt seizes him and the two men engage in a terrific fight. Jelitt winning, but leaving Romsey's determination unchanged. He dons a workman's garb and sets out for London. Reaching Pump Lane he finds Sally, and tells her he needs employment. She secures work for him with the blacksmith. He employs other methods than force to win the girl now and helps the poor people. The Duke of Chatto has Sally kidnapped, and Romsey and Jellitt rescue her. Next day Chatto, with some of his servants, seeks Romsey to have him flogged. Romsey discloses his identity, demanding that the Duke sell him Pump Lane or "answer to the Marquis of Romsey for his deeds." He presents Pump Lane to the future Lady Romsey, who gives it to her people, and amid the cheers of the crowd, the happy pair walk away, arm in arm.
