- A charming bailiff's assistant poses as a young woman's butler until she can pay her debts.
- Recently released from jail, Raymond Dabney is the black sheep of his family. His father and brother want him out of England and out of their hair. Only his mother seems to harbor some affection for him. Looking for work in London, Raymond gets a job assisting a bailiff in collecting debts. Crystal Wetherby, a lovely young woman living outside her means, hopes to romance a wealthy man in order to pay her bills. When the bailiff shows up at her house with a writ, Raymond is left behind, taking possession of the house and everything in it as an official representative of the Crown. Until Crystal can pay her debt, Raymond will stay in her house and keep an eye on things, a rather unwelcome guest. Encouraged to be courteous and offer domestic assistance in his awkward duty, Raymond agrees to act as Crystal's butler. As butler, Raymond is surprised to learn that Crystal's fiancé is his brother Claude. Raymond's interference seems to ruin Crystal's chances with both Claude and Sir Charles Cartwright, a wealthy gentleman friend. Raymond falls in love with Crystal and tries to find a way to get her the money she needs and make her happy at the same time.—Jimmy L.
- Raymond Dabney (Robert Montgomery) returns to a mixed reaction from his middle-class family in London after serving a sentence at HM Prison Wormwood Scrubs for stealing a motorcar. His mother (Beryl Mercer) and the family servant are delighted to see him, but his father (C. Aubrey Smith) and brother Claude (Forrester Harvey) are less so. His father is particularly disappointed in him, having sent him to Cambridge. The two men offer him £500 to leave the country and never return; it seems Claude is engaged to a rich widow, and they are anxious to avoid any scandal that might endanger the marriage. Raymond turns it down, however, and departs the same day. He obtains work as a sheriff's officer, helping a bailiff serve a writ on Crystal Wetherby (Irene Purcell), a woman in serious debt, taking possession of her property. The bailiff instructs him to remain in Crystal's mansion to keep an eye on the seized property until the next day, but also to provide any reasonable assistance to the woman. Crystal and her sole remaining servant, Clara (Charlotte Greenwood), have him take the place of the departed butler. Then Crystal mentions the name of her fiancé, none other than Claude Dabney. Claude is bringing his parents to dinner that night to meet her. The situation is awkward for all the Dabneys. Meanwhile, Crystal's admirer, the wealthy and generous (if disreputable) Sir Charles Cartwright (Alan Mowbray), shows up. Crystal has carefully kept the news of her engagement from him. She manages to get the jealous man to leave without him meeting her dinner guests. Before Claude leaves, he informs Crystal that her butler has a crooked past (without revealing they are brothers), but she refuses to discharge him (without revealing he is actually in possession of the premises). To complicate matters even further, that night Raymond seduces a willing Crystal. The next morning, Raymond prepares Crystal's breakfast in bed, though Clara insists on taking it up to her. When Crystal removes the cover, she sees that the bacon has been arranged to spell the word "LOVE." Clara picks up Crystal's undergarments scattered around the room, noting that her chemise is torn. Crystal does not correct Clara's incredulous assumption that it was Claude who ripped it. Raymond then proceeds to sabotage Crystal's other relationships. When Sir Charles arrives, Raymond informs him of her engagement, causing the latter to tear up a check for £1000 he was about to give her. Claude then offers his brother £1000 to leave England forever; Raymond insists on being paid an additional £200 for immediate expenses. Then Raymond shows Claude the writ, proving Crystal is not the wealthy woman she pretends to be. Panic-stricken, Claude tells Raymond to reveal to her that they are brothers (in order to break off the engagement without being sued for breach of promise) and hastily departs. Sir Charles returns, having discovered that his love for Crystal is too strong, but she declines his proposal of marriage. When the bailiff shows up, Raymond pays off the outstanding debt, collects his wages, and informs Crystal that they can be married on the ship taking them to a fresh start in a new country. She reminds him of her past, but he is undeterred. She then happily embraces him.
- Recently released from prison, Raymond Dabney is the black sheep of his family. His father and brother want him out of England and out of their hair. Only his mother and the maid seem to harbor some affection for him. Looking for work in London, Raymond gets a job assisting a bailiff in collecting debts. Crystal Wetherby, a lovely young woman living outside her means, hopes to romance a wealthy man in order to pay her bills. When the bailiff shows up at her house with a writ, Raymond is left behind, taking possession of the house and everything in it as an official representative of the Crown. Until Crystal can pay her debt, Raymond will stay in her house and keep an eye on things, a rather unwelcome guest. Encouraged to be courteous and offer domestic assistance in his awkward duty, Raymond agrees to act as Crystal's butler.
When Crystal has her fiancé and his parents over for dinner, Raymond is surprised to learn that it is his brother Claude and his own parents. Claude is outraged, thinking that Raymond purposely deceived Crystal in a plot to sabotage his engagement. After a disastrous dinner with the Dabneys, Crystal makes plans to meet with Sir Charles Cartwright, a wealthy gentleman friend. Raymond wrecks those plans and spends the night with Crystal himself. The next day Raymond tells Sir Charles about Crystal's engagement, sending him away before Crystal has the chance to see him and costing her the payment that she needed.
Claude arrives and exposes Crystal's "butler" as an ex-con. Crystal knows Raymond has a legal right to remain in the house that Claude doesn't realize, but as a gesture of his affection for Crystal Raymond offers to leave if she wishes him to. Crystal allows him to stay, not wanting him to lose his job.
When Claude tries to entice Raymond to leave, Raymond shows Claude the writ and tells him that Crystal has no money. Shocked, Claude feels deceived and is about to leave when Raymond brings up the possibility that Crystal could sue him for breach of promise. Afraid of the scandal, Claude instructs Raymond to pay Crystal off.
Crystal is disappointed to learn that Raymond's interference has scared off both Sir Charles and Claude. Raymond confesses that Claude is his brother and Crystal is embarrassed about the awkward dinner the night before.
With a newfound sense of urgency, Sir Charles returns, proposing marriage. Faced with a difficult choice, Crystal turns down Sir Charles and his money because "that Dabney chap" means too much to her. Crystal decides to go away and tells Raymond to take any property from the house to satisfy the bill collectors. Raymond is glad that Crystal isn't marrying Sir Charles and gives her the money from Claude to pay the bailiff. The bailiff is happy that the matter was resolved so quickly and makes sure that Raymond's behavior was satisfactory.
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content