A Cardinal Sin

A Cardinal Sin by Eugene Sue

Eugene Sue's A Cardinal Sin, translation of Les Sept Péchés capitaux--L'avarice, was translated by Alexina Loranger and published in 1892 by W. B. Conkey Company in Chicago. This book is sometimes called Avarice: The Millionaires. My copy is part of The Perfect Library's Works of Eugène Sue, a collection of 31 his works.
The story revolves around Mariette, a young girl facing poverty and hardship as she tries to care for her ailing godmother while dreaming of a life filled with love and happiness. The opening portion introduces Mariette as she visits a public scribe to have a letter written to her beloved Louis. She is unaware that the scribe is Louis' miserly father who tries to derail their relationship because he wants Louis to marry another woman for her father's money.
In 1829 Eugene Sue's father's death left him with a sizable fortune. Sue was strongly affected by the socialist ideas of his day and this novel explores how wealth can be shared and used to alleviate the suffering of the poor and working class, a theme common to many of his works. This book is one title in Sue's series Les Sept pêchés capitaux (The 7 Deadly Sins written between 1847 and 1849.