Penny Dreadfuls, 1923 · page 43 of 116
The Taking of Helen by John Masefield — page 43: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Description This is a page of running prose from a Victorian penny dreadful titled "The Taking of Helen" (page 31). The text depicts a dialogue between two characters, Nireus and an unnamed rider, discussing the pursuit of a fugitive couple—a Queen and Prince Paris—who have apparently eloped. The rider reports they've searched the woods and coast, and will capture them at dawn. He mentions the couple will face severe punishment: the woman will be immured and the man hanged, with no trial. The passage includes a notably sensual moment where the rider touches Helen's cloak, fascinated by its softness, suggesting the story deals in melodramatic sentiment and physical detail typical of the genre.
📄 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 31 “We've made a wide cast through the wood. They’re not between this and the coast. We'll soon catch them when the day dawns, but in this darkness one can do nothing. Itisasad business, Nireus. The lady is the Queen and the man Prince Paris: sheer madness. And she was pretty, too, in a way. He was a sort of friend of yours, I think ?”’ “Yes, a friend.” “T’m afraid it will stop your sailing for to-night. I’ve been riding all night. I’m weary.” He slid from his horse and stood by Nireus’ horses, with his hand on Helen’s cloak. Nireus could see his hand move up and down upon the cloak as though he were interested in its softness, yet had not pushed the thought further. “This is a beautiful cloak,’’ he said at last. “It is soft enough for a lady’s.”’ “Yes, it is a soft cloak,’”’ Nireus said. ‘What will be done to the runaways when they are caught ?”’ “She will be immured, of course. He is to be hanged.”’ “With no trial or enquiry? There may be some explanation.” “Those are the orders. There’s no explanation. She is married to an old man, and he has had his head turned. I wish that this dawn would come, so that we might see.”’ ‘““May I be pushing on towards Green Havens, if CORNICLO® (S (C(O)