Penny Dreadfuls, 1923 · page 80 of 116
The Taking of Helen by John Masefield — page 80: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
# Page Description This is a page of running prose dialogue from *The Taking of Helen*, a Victorian penny dreadful retelling of the classical abduction narrative. The page shows an intense conversation between two male characters, Nireus and Paris, in which Nireus confesses his long-suppressed desire to kill Paris out of love for Helen, while warning Paris that taking Helen to Troy will bring catastrophe. The dialogue explores themes of jealousy, doomed love, and fate, with Nireus suggesting Paris flee to other lands instead.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
68 THE TAKING OF HELEN man, and that you were watched? You were. The King had prepared everything to catch you.”’ ‘These people who prepare things are generally beaten.”’ “Paris,’’ Nireus said, “we have been friends, but for these last months I have longed to kill you, because I love Helen. You may never get away from here; but if you do, it will be through me, so that I have the right to say this. Go to Rhodes, or to Crete, or to Egypt, or come with me to Symé; but keep from Troy, Paris, because you do not know how full Troy’s cup is; nor how this will set it running over.”’ “You are an islander, Nireus,’ Paris said, ‘‘and pay too much attention to flaws and currents and gusts from the glens. ‘Troy is a great kingdom, and a haunt of kings; my queen shall be another glory to her.” ‘Do you know what you are doing, Paris? You are all blind with beauty and love and think that no one sees but you.”’ ‘You are in love, you say,” Paris answered. “Do you see so very clearly ?’’ “T am in hell,’’ Nireus answered, “‘and have all hell’s fire to light me. You are taking the one you love to misery.” ‘And you would give both hands to be in my place.” ‘“T would give more than that, perhaps,’’ Nireus said. “I used to think, Paris, that I could never care for anyone as I cared for you. When you first came ¢¢ CORNICLOOKS»aeO