Lady Windermere's Fan

In London, Lady Margaret Windermere is busy discouraging Lord Darlington's flirting, while her husband receives a letter from Edith Erlynne, "a complete stranger," asking to meet him on a urgent matter. A woman of great beauty but terrible reputation, she reveals that she is the mother of Lady Windermere, who believes she is dead and reveres her memory. Fearing that his wife would be crushed by the truth and seeing a pile of bills on Mrs. Erlynne's desk, Lord Windermere gives her a cheque for ₤1500 for her silence.