Penny Dreadfuls, 1923 · page 61 of 116
The Taking of Helen by John Masefield — page 61: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Analysis This is a page of running prose from page 49 of *The Taking of Helen*, a Victorian penny dreadful. The text depicts soldiers searching a house for something (unstated on this page). A character named Nireus appears to be doing manual labor while a sergeant harangues him with contemptuous remarks about his "woman's hands" and work ethic. An officer directs the search operations, but the soldiers find nothing and eventually depart on horseback, frustrated by their lack of success.
📄 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 49 mounted at the door. Nireus heard the officer speak to the boy. “Since you know the house, show me the possible hiding-places in it.”’ The boy led the way into the house; some soldiers followed’; others stayed outside by the horses. Nireus listened for what might happen. “What are you listening at?’’ said a voice above him. | It was the sergeant, who had crept along the gully- top out of sight of !jireus and had been watching him. “T was listening to what was going on.” ‘“Tt’s no concern of yours,” the sergeant said. ‘You get on with your work; you and your sister and your sour thin wine. You'd sing if I had my way with you.” Nireus did not answer, but bowed to his work. ‘One scratch and then another,” the sergeant said, “with your little hands like woman’s hands. I prom- ise you, I’d make you work if I’d the charge of you.” “Sergeant, there!’’ came the voice of the officer near the house. 66 Sir Wi “Come palit show me where you searched.” “Yes, sir.’ Nireus went on with his diets while the men tram- pled about in the house, moving coffers and stores and faggots, but finding nothing. In time they came out to their horses, growling at their want of luck. CONRNICELOO© <S (C(O)