Penny Dreadfuls, 1923 · page 22 of 116
The Taking of Helen by John Masefield — page 22: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful titled "The Taking of Helen" (page 10). The dialogue depicts characters—apparently Menelaus and others—discussing plans to capture or punish Paris and prevent his escape by ship. Menelaus declares that Paris will be stopped, tried, and hanged, and predicts this action will provoke war with Priam within three weeks. A heavy-set character also expresses concern about men from elsewhere who harbor ideas of independence and may require forceful control. The text blends classical mythology (Helen, Paris, Priam) with Victorian sensationalist plotting.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
10 THE TAKING OF HELEN these twenty years; now his young puppy shall pay me.” “We have all owed Priam a trouble,’’ Menelaus said. ‘But we shall pay him full measure.” ‘How were they planning to leave the country ?”’ ‘“T imagine by a ship from Green Havens, belong- ing to this boy Nireus, who is here.”’ “Ts he in their plot?”’ “No. Paris’ man thinks that Nireus hates Paris and wants him away from here.”’ “T do not wonder at that; he seems an insufferable young puppy, by what I have seen and heard.”’ ‘Nireus is no better.”’ “Tt will be good for these islanders and for all these other petty lords, that they learn who is their master.”’ “They will learn very soon,’’ Menelaus said. “Paris will be stopped when he goes, and tried and hanged the next morning. What we think of Paris and his attempt will be told to Priam within ten days, and versions of it will be everywhere at the same time. Knowing Priam as we do, we can count on war within three weeks.” ‘“T have been seeing those men,” the heavy man said, ‘those men we talked of, from over there”’ (here he made some motion of direction with his head). ‘Some of them may be inclined to be perverse. There are wild ideas of independence abroad; they may need the strong hand.’’ COnnicaooKS (EO)