Penny Dreadfuls, 1923 · page 38 of 116
The Taking of Helen by John Masefield — page 38: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis: Running Prose from "The Taking of Helen" This is a page of running prose dialogue from the Victorian penny dreadful *The Taking of Helen* (page 26). An officer named Nireus questions a soldier about a young man and woman with fair hair who have gone missing from the hills. The soldier reveals he was born near the Curlews farm, owned by Lord Halys, where his father worked as a shepherd. When Nireus asks if the soldier has seen the pair since being in the hills, he says no. Nireus then reveals they are actively searching for this man and woman and "we've got to have them"—suggesting an urgent pursuit, though the specific reason remains unclear from this excerpt alone.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
260 THE TAKING OF HELEN my ship, now lying at Green Havens. I have been lost all night among these hills.”’ “What friends have you been with ?’’ ‘They were at the big white farm in the hills to the west, the Curlews.”’ ‘Does anybody here know any farm in the hills of that name?” “Yes, sir,” said one of the soldiers. “It lies up near the lake, a matter of ten miles from here. Lord Halys owns it.”’ “That is the place,’’ Nireus said. ‘“‘T was born up there, sir,’’ the soldier said. shepherd’s cottage was where my father lived.”’ Old “The ‘““Why, your father was the shepherd, then?’’ Nireus sald. “Yes, sir. I expect you have heard tell of my father,’ the soldier said. “Tell me,’ the officer said, “have you seen any- thing of a young man and woman since you were on the hills? A tall, slim man, of about your build, but with fair hair, and the girl the same?”’ ‘No a] “That is what all say. Where have these two gone to?”’ “Are you looking for a man and woman?”’ Nireus asked. “Yes,” the officer said, ‘‘we are, and we've got to have them.”’ COMMUC 0)(6)() SS (C(O)