Summary
In the Diplomatic Service" unfolds a captivating narrative centered on Dick Stansbury, a bon vivant whose life of leisurely indulgence is abruptly redirected by his uncle, Major Blaine. Tasked with the delicate, yet imperative, mission of unmasking the duplicitous Doctor Montell—a foreign diplomat whose ethical breaches remain tantalizingly unproven—Stansbury finds himself thrust into a high-stakes game of international intrigue. His past acquaintance with Montell abroad proves invaluable as he infiltrates the diplomat's circle. Amidst this espionage, the film introduces Beverly Ryerson, an elegant socialite, and her friend, Helen Wardlow, a budding authoress yearning for the dramatic originality she believes life now lacks. The opulent backdrop of a Diplomats' Ball serves as the initial stage for this intricate dance of deception, where Dick and Montell vie for social influence, leading to an invitation to Mrs. Ryerson's country estate. It is here that Stansbury orchestrates his elaborate ruse: a fictitious "machine gun" designed to asphyxiate airship occupants, a lure irresistible to Montell's avarice. As Montell attempts to procure this fabricated weapon for a foreign power, aided by the conniving Lyna Hardi—who simultaneously schemes to discredit Dick in Beverly's eyes—the plot thickens. Beverly, misinterpreting Dick's intricate strategy as potential treason, endeavors to protect him by absconding with the model, only for it to be swiftly retrieved by Stansbury's covert operatives. The climax erupts in a dramatic confrontation at the estate, where Dick, forewarned of Montell's direct attempt to steal the device with accomplices, ingeniously electrifies the "invention," ensnaring the culprits in a shocking, literal trap. Montell's ignominious recall is assured, while Hardi receives leniency, his machinations deemed mere rivalry. The film culminates in a poignant gesture of loyalty: Dick, to dispel Beverly's lingering doubts, "sells" his grand invention to a bewildered junk dealer for a pittance, its true value revealed as nil. Beverly, moved by sentiment, reacquires the now-meaningless prop for a significant sum, cementing her understanding of Dick's unwavering patriotism. The narrative concludes with a harmonious resolution, Helen finding ample inspiration for her literary pursuits in the very events she once deemed devoid of originality.
Synopsis
Dick Stansbury chooses a life of travel and pleasure rather than a more useful career. He returns from three years of foreign travel. His uncle, Major Blaine, interests him in a bold breach of ethics made by one of the foreign diplomats, Doctor Montell, but as yet nothing has been proved against the doctor, as he knows all the men in the Secret Service in Washington. Dick met him abroad, and Major Blaine persuades him to undertake the task of Doctor Montell's unmasking. Beverly Ryerson has a friend, an eccentric young authoress, Helen Wardlow, who is disgusted because, she says, there is no more originality in life. Beverly assures her that such is not the case. Dick, Beverly, Doctor Montell, Helen, Mrs. Ryerson, Beverly's step-mother, and her nephew, Lyna Hardi, who is loaning her money to pay her bridge debts, and who in return demands that she aid his cause with Beverly, are all at the Diplomats' Ball. Dick and Dr. Montell interest the girls and they induce Mrs. Ryerson to invite the men to a party at her country-house. Dick seizes the opportunity to ensnare the doctor in a plot that will prove his deceptions against the government. Dick has invented a "machine gun," supposed to fire a bomb that will burst anywhere within several hundred feet of an airship, asphyxiating the pilot and passengers with poisonous gas. He brings the model of the gun with him to the house-party, and takes care to talk about his invention where Montell can overhear him. He is soon approached by Montell with a proposition to deceive his own government, and sell the model to a foreign nation. Dick asks for time to consider the offer. Montell is determined to have the invention at once, and Hardi attempts to steal it for him, but is prevented by a Secret Service man. His reason for this move is that in trying to discredit big rival he has told Beverly that Dick is a traitor to his country. He has arranged for Beverly to overhear Dr. Montell and Dick talking about the invention. Though Dick has so far refused to sell, she fears he may succumb to the doctor's inducements, and to save him Beverly surreptitiously takes the model to her own room, though it is soon returned to Dick by one of his detectives. Montell and two accomplices then try to steal the model. Dick has been warned of their approach. He extends a wire from one of the house-lights to the model, and gets the janitor to operate a magneto at a signal. When the three malefactors step on a wet rug with the machine, they are held fast by the sudden shock of the electricity and caught by Dick. The ignominious recall of Dr. Montell by his own country is inevitable. Dick spares Hardi, since he has plotted against him only as a rival, not against him as a representative of the foreign government. In order to clear Beverly's mind of any possible doubt as to his loyalty to the nation, Dick next day asks her to accompany him to a junk dealer, to whom he offers his "wonderful invention." The junk-dealer finally consents to give him twenty-five cents for it. Out of sentiment, however, Beverly buys it back for $25. A happy denouement follows, and Helen, having found ample material for a plot, types busily away on her new story.
