The five stories in this volume contrast the old ways with the new; the traditional ideals of duty and responsibility with the youthful quest for love. The title story tells of the need to move with the times financially as Frau Frohmann reluctantly raises her prices to suit the increasing salaries of her hotel guests. 'The Lady of Launay' and 'The Telegraph Girl' compare two kinds of self-sacrifice. Lucy Graham is a telegraph girl whose sense of duty allows her to triumph over poverty but Mrs. Miles, the mistress of Launay, possesses a sour martyrdom that must be defeated. Doing the right thing, these stories tell us, is not always sufficient, it is doing them for the right reasons, like Alice Dugdale or Frau Frohmann, that matters. (Wikipedia)
