Dross

Dross, written by Henry Seton Merriman and published in 1896, is a historical novel set in France during the Second Empire, specifically around the centenary celebrations of Napoleon Bonaparte's birth in 1869. The story follows Dick Howard, a man with a troubled past, as he becomes entangled in the lives of the Vicomte de Clericy and his daughter Lucille amidst a backdrop of political intrigue and societal change. The novel explores themes of love, deception, and identity against the tumultuous history of 19th-century France.