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- Count Bertrand is an army officer who enjoys the utmost confidence of the military leaders of his country but who nevertheless finds time to devote himself also to the interests of several charitable institutions. He and his wife are always among the first to offer their services when some charity fete is planned, and both being splendid riders, are chosen to take charge of a pretentious society circus designed to raise money for an orphanage. In order to stage the production in professional style, they hire Ivanoff, a circus manager, to assist them. Ivanoff gladly accepts their offer of the commission, not only because of the liberal payment promised, but also because of the fact that he is in reality a spy in the pay of a neighboring power and thinks that through association with the count, he will be able to gain possession of some valuable government secrets. He bides his time and finally, by drugging the count, succeeds in getting into his own hands some maneuver plans which had been entrusted to Bertrand. These he delivers to the prime minister of the hostile power, and Bertrand is arrested on a charge of having sold the information to the enemy. He is convicted on circumstantial evidence and sentenced to twelve years in prison. Countess Bertrand is prostrated by her husband's disgrace, but confident of his innocence, sets herself to find evidence which will set him free. Certain clews lead her to suspect that Ivanoff is the real thief of the plans. To find him is in itself a difficult task, for he has disappeared and left no inkling of his whereabouts behind him. Finally the countess hits upon a plan. She will disguise herself, join a circus and seek for Ivanoff among the haunts of circus people. This she does, and it is not long before the famous "Lady of the Mask," a superb equestrienne who never allows her features to be seen, even by her colleagues, is one of the best known performers in the circus world. The masked rider, of course, is none other than the countess herself. The time the circus with which she is connected plays a long engagement in the hippodrome at the capitol of Rugaria, the country which Ivanoff serves. Alexis, the countess's servant, locates Ivanoff's divorced wife, Nadia, and from her they learn that the spy is in the city, living luxuriously on a large sum of money paid him for the stolen plans, and several days later they see him occupying a box at the hippodrome. Ivanoff is struck with the grace of the masked rider and asks for an introduction, which is granted. The countess, never taking off her mask, leads him on until he invites her to take dinner in his rooms. She accepts, and as they are dining suddenly removes her mask and covers him with a revolver. She forces him to give her the plans and his correspondence with the Rugarian officials and is delighted to find that the papers prove conclusively her husband's innocence. Still covering Ivanoff with the pistol, she makes her escape from the house. In her haste she drops one of the documents, but Alexis, the servant, whom she has left on guard at the door, picks it up and jams it into his pocket. Now that she has the precious proofs, the countess loses no time in leaving the Rugarian capital. Ivanoff, however, has not lost his presence of mind and succeeds in getting a warrant for her arrest. He charters a high-powered motor car and starts for the border at top speed. There is an exciting race between his machine and the train which bears the countess. The auto wins, and when the daring woman reaches the frontier, Ivanoff and a squad of military police are waiting for her at the border station. The papers are taken from her and she is hustled across the border into her own country. She returns heartbroken to her home. Several days later, Alexis, who has follower on another train, arrives and gives her the paper which she dropped in fleeing from Ivanoff's house. It proves to be a letter from the prime minister of Rugaria to the spy and conclusively proves the innocence of the count. This letter, turned over to the military authorities, wins a pardon for Bertrand and brings back happiness to the woman who dared.
- The young and naive Pierrot is led astray by the evil wine merchant Pochinet. He hopes to distract Pierrot with drinking and gambling while he tries to seduce Louisette.
- The Princess of Monte Cabello is divorced and is granted custody of her beloved daughter. Her ex-husband's mistress hires private detectives who take seemingly incriminating photographs of the Princess with the actor Jacques Wilson. The Princess is devastated when these cause her daughter to be taken from her, and the Princess then falls into the clutches of Wilson. In order to pay his gambling debts, Wilson forces her to humiliate herself by appearing in a play. The Princess sends a note to the Prince of Monte Cabello saying that after the first performance she will not compromise his name again.
- The Count of Castelnuovo (Emilio Ghione) (In Lying Lips: Claude Oldcastle), Emeritus Viveur, loses the last thousands of Lire loaned to him by a loan shark, who reproaches him for not following the advice to marry a rich wife. But this time the Count will put it into action, and courts a young widow, the Countess Della Spina, whom he believes to be very rich. The Countess has a daughter engaged to the Marquis of Montesilveo (Alberto Collo). Everything is going well, when the loan shark warns Castelnuovo that the Countess has nothing on her own, but her luxury rests solely on the usufruct of her daughter's showy assets. Castelnuovo does not lose heart: near defeat he acquires audacity and wickedness: he thinks of blackmailing the relatives of the Countess by circulating the letters she received from woman and to make her relationship public, unless her daughter leaves Montesilveo. The poor mother succeeds with the courage of desperation to take possession of the compromising papers, placing the Count of Castelnuovo in the need to end his life, born and raised in the light of infamy.
- A watchmaker discovers his wife's secret regarding the paternity of their son, keeps silent for fifteen years, until her objection to the marriage of their daughter to a man of similarly clouded paternity forces him to speak.
- Richard Gillett, a young medical student, has won the love of pretty Mollie Dupont, daughter of a wealthy country gentleman and heiress to a considerable fortune. Mr. Dupont has every respect for the clean-cut young man, and heartily approves the match, so the course of true love runs smoothly along until the appearance of Lathrop upon the scene. Lathrop, a gentleman crook of the "Raffles" type, is also a keen sportsman, and one day, while fox-bunting near the Dupont estate, is thrown from his horse and painfully injured. He is carried to the home of Mollie and her father, and is nursed back to health and strength by the girl herself. Dreaming of the possibility of a rich marriage, he does not let this opportunity escape. He exerts himself to charm the girl and succeeds in making a profound impression upon her. Richard soon notices the gradual change in his sweetheart's attitude toward him and her growing tenderness for the handsome stranger. Finally he finds himself entirely supplanted, and in despair leaves for a distant city to seek forgetfulness in the enthusiastic pursuit of his medical studies. Five years pass. Richard is now a highly successful practicing physician and Mollie is married to Lathrop, knowing nothing of his shady past. Naturally, his former accomplices try to draw the greatest profit possible from the good fortune of their old friend, and when at last the man refuses longer to pay "the price of silence," rebelling at being blackmailed by his former pals, there is an encounter in which he is seriously injured. It is impossible to conceal the truth from Mollie any longer. Overcome with grief, she takes refuge with her father, who buys up all existing proofs of her husband's former rascality, and then forces the man to give his daughter a divorce. Two years later we find Mollie at the bedside of her sick child. A doctor is sent for, and it is Richard who answers the call. The young doctor succeeds in restoring health to the child and wins first the gratitude of the mother and, after the violent death of the adventurous Lathrop, the love of the sweetheart of his boyhood days.
- Ruth Benton, accompanist for the musical director of a big theater, is the sole support of her invalid grandmother, who is suddenly taken ill. The girl is forced to be with the aged sufferer constantly, and as the result of this enforced neglect of her duties at the theater, loses her position. The cutting off of her income just at the time when her grandmother's condition makes necessary the purchase of expensive medicines, nearly drives her to despair. She is forced to pawn the family jewels in order to meet the situation. Then Ruth meets Robert Sheldon, a poor but promising musician, and the two young people fall in love. One night, while the invalid slumbers in an adjoining room. Bob composes a love song by the light of the moon. When he submits his composition to the manager of the local opera company, it is recognized as a work of great possibilities, and a public performance is promised. Ruth accompanies Bob when he goes to hear his song sung by one of the leading opera stars of the day, and is happy to share his triumph. When they return home they find Ruth's grandmother dead in her chair by the side of the grate fire. After several years of happy married life, Bob and Ruth become prosperous and well known in the most exclusive social circles. He thoroughly enjoys the distinction of being considered a social lion, but Ruth prefers the quiet of their own home. Gradually they begin to drift apart, until at last Bob shamefully neglects his wife. One night while making merry with a party of gay companions, he is seriously injured in an auto accident. The doctor orders him to be taken to the seashore. Ruth accompanies him, and away from the lure of the city's gay life, finds him the same ardent lover that he was of old. Her happiness is complete until the appearance of Kathryn Windell, an adventuress, who uses all her practiced powers of fascination to win the love of the young composer. Ruth recognizes her inability to hold her husband's heart. He is daily more and more in the company of the beautiful Kathryn, and at last, in an unguarded moment, openly makes love to her upon the beach. From the hotel balcony Ruth is sweeping the beach with her field glasses. Just as Bob folds Kitty in his arms, she turns her glasses on the pair. Then, hopeless and desperate, she seeks forgetfulness in the warm water of the Southern Sea.
- Surfeited with society and blinded by the glamour of his reputation, Frances marries Captain Meade, a grizzled Arctic explorer of middle age. It is not long, however, until her love of young companions awakens her husband's jealousy. His continual spying and frequent outbursts of jealous rage quickly destroy the last vestiges of love and put an end to the young wife's happiness. Fred Palmer, a friend and business associate of the captain, is a frequent caller at his mansion. The call of youth proves too strong for both young people. The inevitable occurs. One day the captain receives a letter calling him out of town on business. He hands it to Frances, watching her as she reads. A gleam of satisfaction in her eyes, a poorly hidden smile, and the husband's jealousy is suddenly fanned into flame. Craftily he plans to catch her walking in the forbidden trail. He pretends to start upon his journey, but doubles back and unexpectedly returns. Finding Palmer waiting at the usual rendezvous, he gives him one of two pistols which he carries bidding him defend himself. A few moments later Frances arrives and finds that a tragedy has been enacted.