The Scarlet Pimpernel

From its opening amid the horrors of the French Revolution, to its unexpected ending on the shores of the English Channel, The Scarlet Pimpernel fizzes with excitement and wit. Dominating the action is the apparently limp-wristed fop, Sir Percy Blakeney, the most unlikely, though the most gentlemanly of heroes. With a happy countenance Sir Percy outwits all the machinations of Chauvelin, the zealous Revolutionary official, to help nobles escape. He is first hindered, then helped, in his plans by his beautiful but naive French wife Marguerite. 1. Escape from Terror - At the West Gate. In Paris during the Revolutionary Terror, aristocrats are hauled to their deaths on the guillotine. Although many try to escape, they are caught at the city gates. Recently, however, many nobles have fled thanks to an unknown Englishman called the Scarlet Pimpernel. One afternoon, a hideous old woman arrives at the West Gate and repels even its guardian Sergeant Bibot, for she says that her grandson has the plague, and he quickly waves her through. Shortly after, a captain arrives and reveals that the hag was the Pimpernel in disguise, hiding the Comtesse de Tournay and her children. 2. The Fisherman's Rest - Fraught reunions - Unwelcome encounter. Safe in England at The Fisherman's Rest, the Comtesse de Tournay questions Sir Andrew Ffoulkes and Lord Anthony Dewhurst about the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel. As Marguerite St Just arrives, the Comtesse damns her for betraying an aristocrat. Sir Percy Blakeney, Marguerite's foppish husband, follows but his wife is only concerned with her brother Armand, who is shortly to return to France. Later, Marguerite ponders her marriage to Sir Percy who, so in love with her when they wed, has turned cool since she confessed to unwittingly betraying the Marquis de St Cyr. Her thoughts are interrupted by Chauvelin, an old acquaintance and Republican official. He forces her to help unmask the Pimpernel by threatening her brother's life. Chauvelin tells her that the Pimpernel will be at Lord Grenville's ball. 3. At the Ball - A cunning ruse - In the supper-room. Marguerite suspects that Sir Andrew may be the Pimpernel, and when he receives a suspicious note, she approaches him and pretends to faint. She snatches the paper and reads it, discovering that the Pimpernel is going to France the next day and will be in the supper-room at one-o'clock for any last-minute plans. She informs Chauvelin of her findings and he lies in wait. He pretends to fall asleep, but the only person he sees is Sir Percy, similarly slumbering. 4. The Pimpernel Unmasked - The revealing ring. After the ball, Marguerite breaks down, almost melting Sir Percy's cool exterior as she begs him to help Armand. The next morning, she discovers that he has left on his yacht. She enters her husband's study and her suspicions are aroused by his methodical tidiness. Sir Percy is not the fool he seems, but a determined man. She is further amazed to find a signet-ring bearing the mark of the Scarlet Pimpernel. Suzanne de Tournay, the Comtesse's daughter and Marguerite's friend, arrives and tells her that the Pimpernel has left to save her father. Marguerite is now sure of Sir Percy's secret. 5. Into France - Frantic departure. Marguerite's fears are reconfirmed by Chauvelin, who returns Armand's compromising letter, which he promised to deliver when on the Pimpernel's trail. Appalled, Marguerite realizes that she has betrayed her husband. Quickly, she goes to Sir Andrew's house and begs for his help. He agrees to escort her to France to warn Sir Percy. They cross from Dover and he leads her to an inn, the Chat Gris, where Sir Percy is due. Marguerite hides upstairs while Sir Andrew scouts around. 6....