The Garden of Weeds (1924)

Phillip Flagg, a wealthy theater promoter given to entertaining showgirls at his estate, The Garden of Weeds, causes Dorothy Delbridge to be fired when she refuses to accept his attentions. Penniless, Dorothy is forced to accept Flagg's hospitality until she marries Douglas Crawford, another wealthy man. Dorothy struggles with her conscience but does not disclose her past to Douglas, and she undergoes considerable anxiety from Flagg's veiled threats of exposure during a dinner party. Unable to endure the strain, Dorothy reveals the truth to Douglas, who replies that he has always known. He administers a beating to Flagg, however, which culminates in the latter's fall and death.