East Lynne

East Lynne is an English sensation novel of 1861 by Ellen Wood. A Victorian bestseller, it is remembered chiefly for its elaborate and implausible plot, evolving around infidelity and double identities. There have been numerous stage and film adaptations. Lady Isabel Carlyle, a beautiful and refined young woman, leaves her hard-working lawyer-husband and her infant children to elope with an aristocratic suitor. After he deserts her, and she bears their illegitimate child, Lady Isabel disguises herself and takes the position of governess in the household of her former husband and his new wife. The much-"quoted" line: "Gone And never called me mother " does not appear in the book but comes from later stage adaptations.