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In the nineteenth century, Prince Florizel of
Carovia is unhappy at the prospect of his impending marriage to Princess
Brenda of Irania. They have not seen each other in fifteen years, and
the engagement was arranged by their fathers. The King decides to give
Florizel a holiday in London before the wedding, accompanied by the faithful
Colonel "Gerry" Geraldine.
On the boat to England, Florizel, assuming the
name Mr. Theopholus Godall, is asked by the mysterious Miss Vandeleur to
guard some papers for her. In her cabin, they are confronted by a man
wanting the papers, but Gerry, who has assumed the name Major Alfred
Hammersmight, and the captain interrupt. Gerry is concerned, but
Florizel is intrigued and welcomes the new adventure. When the boat
docks, they look for Miss Vandeleur, but can't find her, then discover that
her cabin was listed as unoccupied and the "documents" are merely blank
paper.
In London, while Florizel and Gerry dine, a
young man with cream tarts, whose real name is Cecil Barnley, enters the
restaurant and offers the pastries, and says that he is ending his life.
Florizel invites Barnley to join them, and the young man relates his story
of a misspent youth and says that he will find a way to end his life without
disgracing his family. Florizel then proposes dying together and
Barnley tells him about a suicide club in which the mode is selected but
one's own hand is not used. Thinking that the club is a joke, Florizel
determines to join, despite Gerry's objections.
Meanwhile, Miss Vandeleur secretly overhears
their conversation and follows them. The president of the suicide club
admits Florizel after hearing his fabricated story. Miss Vandeleur
arrives just as a deal of the cards takes place to determine who will
receive the ace of spades, signifying the victim, and who will receive ace
of clubs, signifying the executioner. Barnley receives the ace of spades and
Miss Vandeleur the ace of clubs. Florizel wants to follow her, but she
quickly departs by a secret door. Florizel realizes that the club is
not a joke when Barnley's death is reported in the newspaper.
He then determines to return to the club to see
if Miss Vandeleur really is a murderer. Florizel draws the ace of
spades that night, and Miss Vandeleur again draws the ace of clubs.
They then go to the zoo where he is supposed to be ripped apart by lions.
She unlocks the cage door but, when it opens, she starts to cry and tells
him to go away. She then reveals that she didn't kill Barnley but
talked him out of suicide and gave him money to go to Paris. When they
hear gunshots, they find refuge in a cottage and she reveals that she is
trying to avoid marriage to "a pig in the poke" and has been following him.
The next evening, Florizel convinces Miss
Vandeleur to go to the suicide club again. They then discover that the
club's president, whose real name is Dr. Franz Noel, was exiled from Carovia,
and plans to try Florizel for treason. Gerry then pretends to throw a
bomb, which is really a plum pudding, and a brawl erupts. Florizel
escapes and summons a constable but, when they return, the club is vacant.
Noel then writes Florizel a letter, challenging him to a duel to release
Gerry.
That night, Florizel gathers a number of
well-known gentlemen. He leaves for the duel and finds that Noel plans
to hang him instead of giving him a sporting chance. While Florizel
stalls Noel, the gentlemen arrive and their presence allows Florizel to go
through with an honest duel, during which Noel is killed.
Finally, back in Carovia, when Princess Brenda,
who turns out to be Miss Vandeleur, is presented at court and pretends not
to know Florizel, who winks when their engagement is announced. |
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