Mrs. Ness has championed the cause of Hubert Ranston, a social favorite who has come to her with a letter of commendation from her friends in Paris, the Fraemes. Acting as hostess at a function which she is giving, Mrs. Ness takes pains to...See moreMrs. Ness has championed the cause of Hubert Ranston, a social favorite who has come to her with a letter of commendation from her friends in Paris, the Fraemes. Acting as hostess at a function which she is giving, Mrs. Ness takes pains to introduce Hubert to Mrs. Carroll and her daughter, Edith, and suggests to the mother that if it is not too late Edith had better disregard her engagement with Joe Brooks, a wealthy contractor, who has but little time for society. Edith dances with Hubert and notes how pleasing he is. While the festivity is at its height and while Mrs. Ness is adding some jewels to those she already has on to make her more attractive, she is robbed by an unseen thief. When she realizes the theft, she calls for assistance, and we find Hubert doing everything to assist her and suggests the aid of the police. Hubert and Edith later see much of each other. Even after her marriage she meets the social favorite clandestinely, much to her mother's annoyance. When Mrs. Carroll finds that Edith will not listen to her argument, she tells Joe and cautions him about his wife's indiscretions. Business calls Joe from town one day and he does not return home until midnight. That day Hubert wrote Edith asking her to accompany him to an evening concert. Home from the affair, Hubert shows the bride his love and asks her to leave her husband for him. She cannot bring herself to this point and asks him to leave her as she is tired. Hubert leaves. Alter the butler has locked the house, an unknown intruder appears in the bedroom of Edith and picks up her valuable necklace from the dressing table. As Joe enters the house the unseen burglar escapes in the limousine Edith and Hubert are known to have ridden in when they returned from the concert. Joe finds the car there, demands to know to whom it belongs, and questioning the butler, learns that Hubert and Edith had been out that evening together. Joe awakens his wife to learn if Hubert had been there, and Edith confesses that she had only been to the concert and that Hubert had left the house some time since. Joe is hurt at his wife's indiscretion, but trusts her honor and tells her to wait until morning when he wishes to discuss the matter with her. Next morning Edith finds her necklace has been stolen. She raises the alarm and Joe sends for a detective, who finds fingerprints, and a note from Hubert to Edith, asking her to accompany him to the concert. After his inspection of the house the detective interrogates the butler, and from him learns that Hubert was the last person in the house before he locked up for the night. The detective is suspicious of Hubert. Returning to headquarters he inspects the identification cards, and finds that the fingerprints he secured at the Brook's home match those of a noted social gangster whose picture resembles that of Hubert Ranston. After Joe has gone to business Edith, herself suspicious, goes to Hubert's home and questions him as to why he remained there so long and why his car was outside the house when her husband returned home. Hubert tells her his auto was out of order and it took some time to repair it. Then Hubert, making love to Edith, tells her now that she is there in his home that he intends to keep her. The detective goes for Joe, and then repairs at once for Hubert's home. They are just in time, for Edith has fainted and Hubert is dragging her to a room. Hubert hears the arrival of the auto. Looking out of his window he sees the detective and Joe entering his house. Rushing to a button, he releases a spring and a sliding mantel draws back. Hubert is about to escape when the detective catches him, and during the struggle a half-witted woman comes from a poorly furnished room on the other side of the mantel. After Hubert is manacled, the detective exposes Hubert as one of the notorious criminals of the day, and tells Edith that the woman is his half-witted wife. After the stolen necklace is recovered Hubert is led away to prison and Joe looks comfortingly at his wife, who embraces him. As the picture fades, Edith offers the demented woman her support and takes her with her to a new and different home. Written by
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