Le coeur d'un gosse

Armand Delcroix receives a visit from a fellow-artist, who invites him to a fair, where they meet Mabel, a fashionable artist's model. They, in company with a gay crowd of students and models, go and see a sensational performance, a young girl, Clarice, performing in an animal lioness's cage. At first all goes well, but suddenly the crowd is horrified to see the lioness make a vicious attack on her. Delcroix rushes into the cage and rescues Clarice. A week after this event Delcroix calls at the menagerie. He finds Clarice none the worse for her ordeal and offers to paint her portrait. The inevitable happens; they fall in love with each other. The artists' annual ball takes place shortly afterwards. Delcroix is invited, and he takes Clarice with him in the supper room, Clarice comes upon her lover, Delcroix, with Mabel in his arms. She rushes home, broken-hearted. Scalieri, a friend of Mabel's, picks a quarrel with Delcroix. A duel is fought, in which Delcroix is seriously wounded. Clarice forgets her anger and goes to nurse him. A few months later Delcroix meets Mabel in the park. She persuades him to accompany her. Clarice sees the pair drive off. In despair she rushes to the river, but when she contemplates its murky depths, her gentle soul revolts at the idea of suicide, and she drags herself home to pine and die; her last thoughts being for the man who has brought her to an untimely grave. Meanwhile, Mabel reigns supreme in Delcroix's affections, and poor, unfortunate Clarice is forgotten. Years roll by and Delcroix prospers. He has a daughter named Vyvienne. Barthos, Clarice's father, is still alive and comes to the Neuilly fair with his lions. There he chances upon Delcroix. He plans a horrible revenge. One night he and his men drag the heavy cages with the roaring lions to Delcroix's country house. The doors are opened and the lions let loose in the grounds, Madame Delcroix happens to have a social engagement that evening and Delcroix stays at home with Vyvienne. She goes to bed, and Delcroix retires to his study. Suddenly the roar of the famished lions reached his ears. Horrified, he rushes upstairs and sees the lions entering his daughter's room. He dashes quickly into the room and rescues Vyvienne, just as one of the lions is in the act of springing into her cot. But the infuriated beasts do not intend to be so easily balked of their prey. They give chase and there is a fearful race for life. Barthus, waiting and listening outside, sees a vision of his daughter imploring his mercy. He relents and enters the villa, mastering the lions just as Delcroix collapses with his daughter in his arms. —Moving Picture World synopsis