THE STORY: Descius Heiss, after a dark past in crime, settles in London and, to all appearances, is a respectable gentleman. His chief aim is to provide happiness and security for his gifted daughter, Margaret, who has been brought up in complete ignorance of her father’s past. Ostensibly Heiss runs an antique shop but actually he buys and sells gold and jewels from thieves. One of the secrets of his establishment is that in his shop there is a smelting furnace, skillfully concealed behind a mantelpiece. Archie Fellows, a very ambitious and unscrupulous young man, accidentally discovers Heiss’ secret and from then on blackmails him. Heiss, for fear his secret will become known to Margaret, is at last driven to violence. Margaret’s fiance has brought the old man two poison darts from the Orient, and one of these Heiss uses on Archie. Scotland Yard steps in, and the old man fears that he must face the consequences of his act. When at last the police come closer and closer to the facts in the case, Heiss gets more desperate, and makes use of the second of the two poisoned darts upon himself. Before the old man dies, the police inspector comes to Heiss’ shop and Heiss believes that this is the end, but the inspector, still unaware of Heiss’ role in the crime, has come simply to ask for an antique which has caught his eye. Heiss then dies, and his daughter remains ignorant of what he has done.
This play came to New York after a long and successful run in England.
