Within The Law (1912), a vivid melodrama in which a wrongly accused shop girl fights for justice in a story full of tense situations told excitingly. The play, with some undertones of social commentary, reveals realistic ways in which crooks can work ?within the law? to avoid incurring punishment for their actions. Its fast place grabs the audience since the very beginning and does not let out until the very last curtain. The play was adapted to film five times betwen 1916 and 1939.