Penny Dreadfuls, 1923 · page 33 of 116
The Taking of Helen by John Masefield — page 33: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This is a page of running prose from *The Taking of Helen*, a Victorian penny dreadful (page 21). The text depicts a dramatic scene: a character named Nireus learns that the Queen has disappeared during supper. A messenger reports that a farmer's wife witnessed a dark chariot with two horses waiting nearby for an hour, with one horse identifiable by an unusual gait. Nireus theorizes the disappearance is a kidnapping for ransom, but locals insist no thieves or pirates have operated in the region for years. The passage ends with Nireus questioning whether a message summoned the Queen away from the gathering.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
THE TAKING OF HELEN 21 “They have not been killed, have they?” “The gods forbid. First, there was supper; then, after supper, there was to be singing, for musicians had come and were waiting. ‘Then, when all had waited, Lord Halys’ daughter went to bring the Queen, but she had gone. But, lord, this has distracted us all. Will you not alight and eat and drink? Here is wine at least.” _As Nireus dismounted to drink, a man came rapidly up to the door. ‘Here is the farmer’s wife from Fair Oaks,” he said, ‘‘who says that there was a chariot with two horses waiting for half an hour in the river bed below the Stones. She saw it during supper time, as she came to the house with butter, and again half an hour later, as she went home. Two dark horses with a dark chariot. They were eating corn while tethered, and no one was with them. She says that she would know one of the horses because it wove as it ate.” “T will tell you what has happened,’’ Nireus said. “This is the work of thieves or pirates, who have car- ried off the two to ransom.” “That is what we thought, lord, at the first; but there are no thieves nor pirates here. ‘There have not been for years; not since our King was a prince.”’ “Did any message come to the Queen, to call her from supper, or aiter supper; some word to bring her out of doors?”’ CORMICLOOO SS (C(O)