- While Ethel Duprey stars in a play about an adventuress involved with a married man, her life comes to imitate art as she herself begins an affair with Ernest Hale, another woman's husband. In the play, the adventuress rejects the wife's pleas to give the man up, after which the wife kills herself. In real life, when Cora Hale comes to beg for an end to the affair with her husband, Ethel's first impulse is to take her cue from her role, and to refuse to break off her relationship with Ernest. She reconsiders, however, and urges Cora to make herself more attractive in order to win Ernest back. Cora follows the advice, and as a result, Ernest falls in love with her all over again, and ends his romance with a disconsolate Ethel.—Pamela Short
- Ethel Duprey, an actress, after a vain tour of the theatrical agencies, finds herself wandering in a city park. She seats herself on a bench thoroughly discouraged. Mrs. Hale, wife of Lewis Hale, a successful attorney, whose sympathies for the world's unfortunates have crowded out all thoughts of self, offers to help Ethel. The latter's pride makes her reject the offer, but Mrs. Hale slips a bill in Ethel's purse unobserved. Ethel is both hurt and pleased when she finds the money, and returns to Mrs. Murphy's boarding house, where she finds a note from a manager, telling her he can offer her a small part in the new play "Retribution."' Ethel's chance comes when, two weeks before the opening performance, the leading woman sprains her ankle so badly that she is unable to continue rehearsals. The morning following the opening performance finds Ethel famous. At a dinner which the manager gives in honor of Ethel, she meets Lewis Hale, attorney for the company, putting on the show. It is a case of mutual infatuation. Later, when Hale begs Ethel to go away with him, telling her that he cannot marry her until he obtains a divorce. Ethel is undecided, and asks time to decide. Mrs. Hale in the meantime, has discovered that her husband's love has been taken from her and makes inquiries as to who the girl is. Suzette, a "slavey" befriended by Ethel in her boarding house days, now becomes her maid, goes to Mrs. Hale, thinking to save her mistress from herself. On the afternoon Hale is to receive his answer, Mrs. Hale makes her appeal to Ethel, entering her apartment veiled. The last act of the play in which Ethel has made her success is now acted in real life. Ethel has been searching for the woman who befriended her that gray day in the park, but has been unable to find any trace of her. While Mrs. Hale is pleading with Ethel for her husband, a line of the play comes to Ethel and she tells the wife, "The man belongs to that woman who can best hold his heart." Mrs. Hale realizes that she has lost, turns to leave, but collapses in a dead faint. Ethel removes Mrs. Hale's veil and finds the woman who helped her. She has made a vow that no sacrifice would be too great for her to make for that woman, and now the time has come when she must pay. She revives Mrs. Hale and tells her she will give her back her husband. Hale comes for his answer from Ethel and finds a note from her, telling him all is over between them. The story closes with Suzette soothing her broken-hearted mistress.—Moving Picture World synopsis
It looks like we don't have any synopsis for this title yet. Be the first to contribute.
Learn moreContribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content