The story
“The narrow escape of the conspirators after their desperate attempt to capture Norton, as set forth in Episode 17, only made them the more determined to solve the secret of the vanished million. A news item in the society section of one of the daily papers catches the Countess Olga’s eye, and she hastens to apprise Braine. It is a notice of a masked ball which a certain Princess Parlova is to give, and in it the Countess sees an opportunity for a grand coup, which will achieve the object of their long cherished desires. To her surprise and delight Braine tells her that the Princess was formerly a member of the Black Hundred, and, although she has long since been inactive, must still be true to her oath if called upon. He gives Olga a mystical signet ring, which will identify her as a member of the secret order and compel the Princess to accede to any request she may make.
“Armed with this ring and a note from Braine, the Countess goes to the Princess Parlova’s apartments and demands that the Princess write invitations to the masked ball to Norton and Florence and also give her four blank invitations for herself, Braine, and two of the gang. And the Princess, not daring to refuse, yet knowing that some evil thing is planned, is compelled to grant her demands.
“It is with feelings of gratification that Norton and Florence receive their invitations, for a function of the Princess Parlova’s is bound to be one of the social events of the year, and it pleases them to be numbered among the guests. While they are wondering just why they had received them, the Countess Olga arrives and is promptly told of their good fortune. She suggests that they go with her to a costumer’s at once, as the date for the ball is close at hand and effective and original costumes are not always easy to be had. So the two accept the courtesies of her car and are soon set down before the shop of a dealer in this kind of garments. After making a selection, Norton choosing a court suit such as was used in the time of Louis XV, and Florence a flounced and ruffled dress of the same period, they return home. Meanwhile Braine, who has been notified by the Countess Olga that they are at the costumer’s, arrives and, when they have gone, enters the shop and obtains two suits exactly like those which they have engaged.
“A few nights later, at the ball, Florence and Norton, and Braine and the Countess Olga, their respective disguises the duplicates of each other, present themselves to the Princess Parlova, with the other guests. The princess, seated in a sort of glorified sedan chair, receives the homage of her guests and gives the signal to the musicians for the dancing to begin. Soon afterward, Norton and Florence, chatting in an out of the way corner, are approached by two of the masked dancers, one of whom asks Florence for the privilege of a dance. An instant later she is whirled away on his arm. When the dance is over, Braine, whose garb is identical with Norton’s approaches, and in a whisper asks her to follow him. ‘I have discovered something important,’ he mumbles hurriedly. ‘Come where we can talk.’ And suspecting nothing wrong, Florence follows him to another part of the house, where she suddenly finds herself again in the power of the conspirators. While she is thus held in duress, Braine and the Countess Olga come to say their good-nights to the Princess, and calling Florence’s car are hurried away to the Hargreave mansion. There, once the unsuspecting chauffeur has passed around to the back of the house, they retrace their steps to another auto that is waiting for them just outside the grounds. Norton becoming convinced that something is wrong, hastens to the Hargreave house, where, after a hurried colloquy with the chauffeur, he and Jones again set out for the Princess Parlova’s home.
“Meanwhile, Florence is in desperate straits. She has been bound tightly to a chair, and numerous threats have been made to force her to reveal the hiding place of the Hargreave fortune. At last one of the conspirators shows her a deadly clock-work bomb, which he sets going, and threatens to leave beneath the chair in which she is bound, unless she reveals the precious secret. And Florence, quite ignorant of the treasure’s whereabouts, begs and pleads and asserts her ignorance of its whereabouts in vain.
“Just as Norton and Jones reach the house there is a tremendous explosion. The bomb has gone off prematurely, and in an instant panic seizes the conspirators and the other guests. Smoke and flame, shrieks and cries of alarm and the dust of the shattered walls fill the house, and into this pandemonium Norton plunges in search of Florence. Undaunted by falling beams and blinding gusts of flame, he finds her, frees her, and drags her to a window. The flames are nearly upon them as Jones throws him a rope, by which he lowers Florence to the ground. That done, he essays to descend himself, but the fire reaches and burns through the rope down which he is sliding and he plunges heavily to the ground.”
Summary from Reel Life · 17 October 1914
