Orphan of the Rhine

The Orphan of the Rhine was a gothic novel by Eleanor Sleath, listed as one of the seven "horrid novels" by Jane Austen in her novel Northanger Abbey.

Subtitled "A Romance" it was published in four volumes the sensationalist Minerva Press in 1798. It was part of a brief but popular vogue of German tales, a fashion criticized in the Critical Review of June 1807 "So great is the rage for German tales, and German novels, that a cargo is no sooner imported than the booksellers' shops are filled with a multitude of translators, who seize with avidity and without discrimination, whatever they can lay their hands upon...[these novels are] trash...[and] worthless objects." Although most gothic novels took a resolutely anti-Roman Catholic stance, the author of this novel was herself a Catholic.

The novel tells the tale of a Julie de Rubine, a noble orphan, who, after the death of her parents moved from France to Turin, to live with her wealthy aunt Madame Laronne. Before her death Julie's mother made her to swear that she would marry, if ever, only a Catholic. Julie faithfully promised to do so. Her aunt led fashionable life, so there were fetes, outings and balls to attend. Julie was admired for her beauty, and soon had a marriage proposal from Signor Vescolini, the only son of the Conte della Croisse. He is well off, but a Protestant, and his solicitations are distasteful to Julie. She rejects him twice, but her aunt insists, and forces her into this marriage. Julie's situation becomes even worse when the Marchese de Montferrat, rich and handsome, starts courting her. Madame Laronne hoped to marry Marchese, because he paid her attention at the beginning of their acquaintance. When the aunt realises that he is after her niece, she presses the marriage with Vescolini even harder, and keep a close watch on Julie. The Marchese de Montferrat finds means to enter Julie's room and to arrange an elopement. He proposes her a clandestine marriage, to be made public after a while. She agrees. Marchese marries her and keeps her in a hunting villa in the woods. He is tender and loving at first; but after Julie becomes pregnant, he cools down, and after a while tells her that the marriage was a sham, and she is, in fact, just his mistress. Julie gives birth to a son, Enrico, and leaves the Marchese to a little cottage on the borders of the Lake of Geneva. Her faithful servant Dorothée departs with her. After several years of residency in the cottage Julie receives a letter from the Marchese. He asks her to look after a little girl, four months old, and promises to her a large house to live in, a quarterly allowance, servants and carrier help for their son, Enrico. If she refuses, he writes, he will "revenge on her." After some deliberation, Julie agrees. She, Enrico, Dorothée and the little nameless girl (the Marchesse left it to Julie to baptize her and to give her a name) depart to Germany, to a castle which the Marchese desired them to occupy, in the company of the Marchesse's sinister servant, Paoli. On their way to Germany they met a man called La Roque, who is left ill and dying in the inn, with only his daughter to attend him. Julie, moved by compassion, tries to cheer them up, sends for a physician, hires them a servant and leaves them a present of money. La Roque tells her to seek for them in a convent, him under the name of Father Francisco, and his daughter - sister Maria. Thought Julie tried to locate them, she could not find them again, and met them only many years afterwards.