Herzenhandel

Count Hardegg is faced by ruin. He obtains an interview with Goldstein, a factory owner and money lender, endeavoring to obtain a loan. But Goldstein, remembering past transactions, refuses to help Hardegg unless a certain condition is complied with. The condition is that the Countess Helena, Hardeggs beautiful daughter, shall marry Goldsteins son, Henry. Sorrowfully the count acquaints his daughter with the ultimatum, and Helena, in a spirit of filial love, agrees to make the sacrifice. Over the telephone, Hardegg accepts Goldsteins condition, and the usurer gleefully tells his son to prepare for the wedding. So a month later, the marriage takes place, and amid the acclamations of their friends, the pair drives off. But the horses are restive, and at length, getting out of the control of their driver, they dash madly along