The Pendulum of Fate (1913)
Lord Philip Milburne, threatened with disinheritance by his father, the Earl of Milburn, has kept his marriage a secret for almost a quarter of a century. Lord Philip has a grown up son and daughter and adores his wife, but the seal of secrecy has kept them out of Milburne Manor. The Earl passes out of life suddenly and is attended by his younger son, Robert, who is a most cruel and unnatural person. The new Earl Philip writes his wife that he can now acknowledge her and their marriage certificate that has long moldered in a hiding-place, secret even from her. The younger brother, with heart full of hatred and curiosity, observes him penning this letter, and by using opera glasses ascertains the contents of the letter. During the return trip of the Earl of Milburne the train on which he is a passenger is wrecked and he is killed. The wife gets the letter and repairs immediately to Milburne Mansion with her son and daughter, but Lord Robert meets them at the door, denounces them as impostors and denies their right to see the dead. Returning home, Lady Milburne almost succumbs to grief, but realizing their desperate situation might be relieved if the marriage certificate were found, she confers with her son, and he starts out with a determination to find that coveted document. Then, as if to pile meanness upon inhumanity, Robert Milburne appears upon the scene of their happy home, orders them to pack their personal effects and vacate the premises at once. The impoverished family of Milburne are discovered in a meagerly furnished room, the mother still prostrated, the daughter. Elizabeth, eking out an existence by painting china. To add to their wretchedness, Philip has discovered that the church in which his mother was married was burned down and all the parochial records destroyed. Then, when he returns to their old home, Fernside Cottage, in hopes that the document may be hidden there, he finds that the remorseless Uncle Robert his anticipated such search and seemingly thoroughly ransacked the house. While he is satisfying himself as to this, a hired brave in the pay of his lordly uncle overpowers him and he is incarcerated in a private insane asylum as a dangerous maniac. He endures a mouth of this life and then breaks away from his keepers and escapes. In his flight he scrambles over the wall of Lady Mary Scion's country place, falls in an exhausted condition, where he is discovered by the gentle hostess. She has him taken to her home and encourages him to tell her the truth about himself. He does so, and begs her to find his mother and sister, which she fortunately does. During Lady Mary's visit Elizabeth, the daughter observes an advertisement of the sale of their old home, Fernside Cottage. Her emotions overpower her and Lady Mary asks the reason. When she learns of the sale she quietly buys the place herself. Accompanied by Philip, Lady Mary goes to the house, and Robert Milburne happens along and observes that he has forgotten his brother Philip's picture, asking if he may take it with him. She acquiesces and calls a servant to take down the picture. It slips from his hand and the paper covering the back tears loose, revealing the long-sought-for marriage certificate. Both see the document, and the crafty Robert can hardly restrain himself from immediately destroying it. Lady Mary goes from the room a moment and he takes advantage of her absence to light a match and is about to burn it, gloatingly, when Lady Mary returns, and, snatching it from him, calls the young man, Philip, who rushes between them. She hands the certificate to the real Duchess, while the stalwart Philip stops the rush of his wicked uncle, and sends him down for the count. This is the cap sheaf of that bad man's discomfiture, for Lady Mary, who has rescued her friends, will now put them into rightful possession of their own. The reunited family, their fortune secure, surround the good angel who has restored them to their home and wiped the blot from the family escutcheon.
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GenresDrama
Short
IMDbPro
See more details at IMDbPro
| Filmmakers | Role |
|---|---|
| Hardee Kirkland | Director |
| Jacques Jensen | Writer |
| Winifred Jensen | Writer |
| William Nicholas Selig | Producer |
| Cast | Role |
|---|---|
| Edwin Wallock | |
| Charles Clary | |
| Harry Lonsdale | |
| Elsa Lorimer |
