The Two Roads (1916)

Toby Murdock has used his talents for a career of crime, and has trained his daughter, Linda, to be his assistant. Taplow, a waster, has thrown in his lot with the Murdocks. Together they go out on a job, Linda in boy's clothes. They are discovered. Linda is captured, and the officer sees that she is a girl. She is taken to prison. Toby, at a loss without her, takes up the study of counterfeiting. Linda meets the prison chaplain, Basil Edgerton, and through his influence she chooses to lead a "straight" life. She returns home, on her release, but only to tell her father that she has finished with the old life. Toby has found the secret of making gold coins, but he is arrested, soon after, by detectives who have traced him through Linda. Linda fails in all her efforts to find honest work and finally goes to the chaplain to ask him to release her from her promise of going straight. The chaplain remembers that his aunt in the country has complained that she cannot keep a maid. He has confidence in Linda and determines to offer her the situation. His uncle is Sir Cuthbert MacLain, who holds office under the government. Sir Cuthbert receives a letter from the prison where Murdock is awaiting trial, which informs him that the man has the secret of making gold coins which cannot be detected. He sends for the man, and offers, on behalf of the government to buy the secret of the alloy. He converts the formula into cipher and puts it into his safe. Murdock tells Taplow of the transaction and Taplow determines to steal the formula. The chaplain comes to spend his vacation with the MacLeans. Taplow threatens Linda that he will expose her if she does not bring him the formula. At the same time, the tinker friend of the butler persuades the servant to try to get him a glimpse of the formula. Through a false key, the butler removes it from the safe. Linda steals out to meet Taplow and refuse his request. Taplow enters the house and the butler shoots him fatally. Basil sees Linda stealing out of the house and thinks she is going back to her old life. The butler and the tinker accuse Linda of the crime, and arrange that she shall be thought guilty. They lock her up, but she escapes and tells the chaplain her story. He believes her, and when she is accused of the murder, he lies to save her and says that she has spent the night in his room. The tinker has forced the butler to write a confession of the crime. This is found and Linda says, "Then there is no longer any need of your sacrificing yourself to marry me." But the chaplain assures her that he wishes to carry out his bargain.