Beadle's Dime Library, Vol. XIII, No. 167

# Catalog Note: "The Masked Knight of the White Plume"

The Masked Knight of the White Plume: A Tale of Love and Terror by A. P. Morris, serialized in this Beadle & Adams dime novel, unfolds during the French Terror of 1794. The narrative centers on Latour de Cosgnac, a former Queen's Dragoon officer turned secret revolutionary operative who wears steel armor and a white-plumed helmet. He operates from a hidden tower chamber, conducting nocturnal raids against Revolutionary forces to rescue victims. The plot involves his invalid mother, Madame Élise de Cosgnac, who receives an encrypted letter from her exiled husband detailing escape plans. The household harbors Pearline, a mysterious foundling girl whose true parentage remains unknown until her twentieth birthday, when a secret packet supposedly revealing her identity will be opened. Revolutionary soldiers under Sergeant Killer arrive to arrest the family, unaware of the castle's elaborate system of secret passages. An unknown observer spies through a concealed aperture in the bedchamber closet, discovering the location of Madame's desk containing the mysterious packet.