The Price of Silence (1916)

The Price of Silence (1916) introduces us to Helen (Dorothy Phillips) amidst a tumultuous event that will cast a long shadow over her life. During a storm, Helen and her paramour, Ralph Kelton (Jack Mulhall), are compelled to pose as a married couple at a hotel due to a lack of available rooms. Tragedy strikes when Kelton is fatally struck by lightning, and only a local physician, Edmund Stafford (Lon Chaney, in one of his early villainous roles), is privy to the truth about Helen's night at the hotel. Years later, Helen is married to Oliver Urmy (Frank Whitson), and they have a daughter, Aline (Vola Smith), who develops feelings for Billy Cupps (Jay Belasco), believed to be the son of Helen's former nurse, Jenny (Evelyn Selbie). However, Billy is actually Helen's illegitimate son, given to Jenny for upbringing, making their relationship complicated. A more sinister proposal arises when Dr. Stafford resurfaces, now an alcoholic and drug addict, demanding Helen arrange a marriage between himself and Aline in exchange for his silence. Aline, repulsed by the idea, elopes with Billy. Fortunately, it is revealed that Billy is not Helen's son; her actual child died in infancy and was replaced by another. Meanwhile, Dr. Stafford meets his end in a car accident, finally allowing Helen's troubled past to be laid to rest.