Ruth is a novel by Elizabeth Gaskell, first published in three volumes in 1853. Ruth is a young orphan girl working in a respectable sweatshop for the overworked Mrs. Mason. She is selected to go to a ball to repair torn dresses. At the ball she meets the aristocratic Henry Bellingham, a rake figure who is instantly attracted to her. They meet again by chance and form a secret friendship on an outing together, they are spotted by Mrs. Mason who, fearing for her shop's reputation, dismisses Ruth. Alone in the world, Ruth is whisked away by Bellingham to London where she becomes a fallen woman.