Lying Lips

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Neal Frazer, an artist with old-fashioned ideas regarding women attending a performance at a Broadway theater, saves the life of the star, Emily Alden. Friendship ripens into love. After marriage, Emily feels her loss of independence and the restraint Neal places upon her in the spending of money. While shopping she encounters her old manager, Sanford, who urges her to return to the stage in a revival of one of her old hits. She jumps at the chance to again earn money of her own, but is forced to give up the idea because of the anger of her husband at her contemplated return to the stage. Arnold Howard, a stockbroker, married to the artist's sister, Wanda, gratifies her every whim. Wanda, who has many idle hours, spends them in the company of Douglass Stevens, a society man, whose chief interest is in the opposite sex. Wall Street has made a plaything of the fortune of Wanda's husband. His ruin near, Howard goes to Neal and asks him for a loan. Neal with misgivings gives him what money he has saved up and $5,000 belonging to an art association which he is holding in trust. The market continues to go against Howard. Finally, after an exciting day, he returns to his office and commits suicide. Wanda comes to live with Neal and Emily. She still keeps up her friendship with Douglass Stevens. Neal in an effort to replace the association fund, overworks, and a long illness results. With her husband hovering near death, Emily tries to sell his pictures, but they fail to sell. Berated by Emily for not striving to aid her brother to straighten out his financial worries, Wanda's hatred is aroused and she vows vengeance against her sister-in-law. Without her husband's knowledge Emily returns to the stage, hoping to raise the needed $5,000. She nurses Neal by day and appears at the theater at night. Her husband, as he begins to recover, grows suspicious of his wife's absences at night. Leaving his sick bed, he finds a note from Douglass Stevens to Wanda making an assignation. The note is addressed "My Dearest" and the artist supposes it intended for his wife. Wanda helps the suspicion along. Unseen, the artist, when he creeps back into bed, secrets a revolver under the bedclothes. Then he awaits the return of Emily to kill her. When she appears he pulls the gun to fire but collapses from weakness as he tries to take aim. Emily, supposing her husband's act to be due to anger at her return to the stage, leaves him. After weeks of illness, Neal recovers and resumes painting or tries to. He cannot paint, and decides to see Emily. Going to the apartments of Douglass Stevens, where he supposes he will find her, he surprises his sister with the society man. Wanda explains that she came to try and get Emily to return to Neal, but Douglass tired of his intrigue and anxious to get rid of her, tells the artist the truth. Neal hunts up his wife, asks her forgiveness and Emily kisses him as the scene fades out.