The Incomparable Mistress Bellairs (1914)

Mistress Kitty Bellairs has decided that Lord Mandeville would be an excellent match for her. Lord Mandeville. unfortunately, has no matrimonial inclinations, but Mistress Bellairs has secured the help of Mandeville's sister, Lady Dare-Stamer, and he often finds himself left in Kitty's society. One night at the theater, Mandeville sees and falls in love with Rachel Peace, a young Quakeress, who has been driven by her unhappy home life to London and the stage. Mandeville decides to make Rachel's acquaintance and arrives in the green-room just in time to protect her from the too-pressing attentions of Captain Spicer. Lord Mandeville knocks Spicer down and sends Rachel to her home in his own coach. Captain Spicer is a society parasite who earns a living by his wits. He introduces young Mr. Jernigan to the sights of the town, and the quarrel with Mandeville is doubly unpleasant for young Jernigan, who parts from Captain Spicer in disgust. Lady Dare-Stamer takes her brother to task for his off-hand treatment of Mistress Bellairs at the playhouse and urges on him the necessity of getting married. Mandeville has by this time made advances to Rachel Peace, but has been made to realize that she will have nothing whatever to do with him. Indifferently he promises his sister to propose to Kitty Bellairs. Kitty hears of this and, during a masked ball at Lady Dare-Stamer's house, she takes care that Lord Mandeville shall have a good opportunity for his proposal. Under cover of her mask she piques Lord Mandeville's attention, lures him to an alcove and then unmasks. Mandeville has no alternative but to pursue his conversation and without any enthusiasm starts to make a formal proposal of marriage to Mistress Kitty. At this point Lydia, Kitty's maid, intervenes. Lydia does not altogether approve of Lord Mandeville. Lydia prefers Daniel O'Hara, the jovial son of an Irish peer. O'Hara has no money but a wealth of affection for Mistress Kitty, who tacitly accepts his doglike devotion and occasionally rewards him with a smile. Lydia, who has been won over by O'Hara's blarney, steals her mistress's invitation to the masked ball and slips it under Rachel Peace's door. Rachel is tempted by the opportunity thus given her of going to the ball. There is no fear of her being detected under her mask and she longs to see Lord Mandeville again. She goes to the ball and recognizes Mandeville in close conversation with Kitty. She makes a pretext to interrupt them, and Kitty, divining who the marked stranger is, goes to her hostess and insists that the guests unmask. Rachel refuses and Lord Mandeville upholds her refusal. O'Hara, urged by Kitty, insists, and just as a quarrel seems unavoidable the Prince of Wales is announced. The Prince's attention is drawn to the one remaining masked quest. Again O'Hara and Mandeville almost come to blows but Rachel intervenes and to prevent bloodshed removes her mask. For a moment there is stunned silence. But the Prince saves the situation by a genial clapping of hands, in which the guests join. Rachel apologizes to Lady Dare-Stamer for her intrusion and takes a hurried departure. Mandeville picks a quarrel with O'Hara for his interference and a duel takes place. Rachel, on her way home, finds Mandeville wounded by O'Hara. She accompanies Mandeville to his country house and nurses him back to health. Kitty, deeply humiliated by Mandeville's behavior, returns to Bath under O'Hara's escort. Her coach breaks down and she seeks shelter at the nearest house. To her amazement she discovers that her host is Lord Mandeville. Seeing no way out of the situation, Kitty feigns illness and disappears in the care of the housekeeper. O'Hara and Mandeville quickly make up their differences, and, unbalanced by wine, propose bringing their respective ladies together for comparison. Kitty comes, self-possessed and proud; Rachel with her head bowed in shame. At first Kitty is inclined to snub Rachel, but her good heart triumphs. She takes the shamed girl in her arms and leads her from the room. The next day Kitty persuades Rachel to escape from Mandeville's house with her in her coach and, later in the day, the two women still accompanied with O'Hara, put up at the Ostrich Inn. Mr. Jernigan, who has been searching London in vain for Rachel, willingly gives the newcomers his room and goes to share a room with another guest, who proves to be Captain Spicer. Kitty returns young Jernigan's courtesy by inviting him to supper with them. Captain Spicer calmly invites himself, but as he is not welcomed be returns their cold reception by rudeness and is thrown from the room by O'Hara. Young Jernigan, furious at Spicer's insults, follows him from the room and challenges him to fight. A brisk fight takes place, which results in Jernigan being wounded by Spicer. Rachel, hearing that she was the cause of the quarrel, insists on nursing Jernigan, and it is while she is engaged in doing this that she is found by Mandeville, who is now profoundly penitent. He apologizes to Rachel and formally asks her to become his wife. Rachel, now convinced of his sincerity, consents, and at the wedding breakfast a few days later O'Hara also has a glimpse of coming happiness with Kitty.