American Classics PDF EPUB

The Mask

First published: 1913
Pages: 219

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About this book

Wall Street promoter Kenneth Traynor sails for South Africa to bring home two diamonds worth more than a million dollars for the mining company he directs, leaving his devoted wife Helen in New York. On the eve of his departure an old nurse reveals a secret he never suspected: he was born a twin, and his brother vanished in childhood, known only by a scar on one finger. That revelation sets up a story of deception. Signor Keralio, a fencing master with designs on Helen, conspires with Kenneth's disloyal valet, and the title's mask becomes a scheme to pass a false Kenneth off as the true one. First published in 1913 and later filmed, it is brisk period melodrama built on hidden identity, marital loyalty, and the lure of sudden wealth.

About the author

Arthur Hornblow

Arthur Hornblow worked as an American editor and novelist closely connected with early twentieth-century theatre. Distinct from his son, Hollywood producer Arthur Hornblow Jr., he edited theatrical publications and adapted popular stage material for prose audiences. The Argyle Case reworked a detective play by Harriet Ford and Harvey J.