Evening star., 1935-05-19
Magazine Section

mistakes and are caught Now shall tell you,
madam, how an intelligent man would commit
murder and never even be suspected. Have l
your attention."
Mrs Gray closed her book with snap and
looked steadily at the BEARDED stranger. Then
she smiled He was 50 obviously amiable, with
twinkling blue-grey eyes that had in them
base of hardness, as though he always knew
what he was about. His well-trimmed greying
beard suited him. too. She wondered who he
was, and decided he might be Harley Street
specialist who enjoyed playing the fool IN an
amiable way.
VERY well" sighed Mrs. Gray.
LET me put it this way" said the bearded
stranger. Suppose we imagine someone quite
well-known - a writer, peer. great doctor
- someone in the public eye. A man in such a
position, recognized wherever he goes. has
naturally to be careful"
''Whyl" said Mrs. Gray.
"Whyl" smiled the stranger. Suppose the
poor devil occasionally wants to amuse him.
self. am not asking you to suppose fish.
madam, but man. In the case of a fish. of
course, the story would not arise. Now suppose
this famous man has an - may ask, madam,
if you are married."
"Yes, thank you" said Mrs. Gray.
Splendid. Then let US suppose this man
has OR had - an ENHANCEMENT. He is
man who respects his wife and considers her
happiness He is not ardent, but he is first and
last cultivated gentleman. For nothing in
the world would he belittle his wife by being
seen in public places with another and a
younger and prettier woman. But he has his
weaknesses.
Bearing this in mind, the steps such man
would take to insure discretion must follow
naturally. Let US suppose he has taken young
lady under his protection for reasons which
convention frowns upon, but are not really
unnatural Nor should we suppose that he
has any baser motives in forming this illicit
connection than desire for the conversation
of a fresh young mind.
He installs this young lady in small
house not far from London and sees her not
more than once week, sometimes only every
other Saturday. Restraint, madam is an es-
sential part of the equipment with which this
man had attained great success in his pro-
fession. whatever that may be.
But see that have forgotten to make
clear the most important point of all; the
young lady does not know the real name her
protector and does not dream of his eminence.
"You will say that is improbable, for man
50 eminent must be recognized by his photo
graphs in the public prints. Madam, on his
occasional visits to this young lady he wore
beard - similar, perhaps, to mine, but with
this difference, that it was false.
The best wig maker in London had made
this beard, and it took him more than an hour
on those Saturday mornings dedicated to
fresh young mind to arrange it 50 that there
should be no possibility of detection.
II shall not strain your credulity by saying
he could do this comfortably without the
knowledge of his wife and the connivance Of
his valet Indeed. nothing in their married life
- which l regret to tell you had its dis
agreeable moments - had ever amused this
lady more than this ecoentricity of her hus-
bands, of donning false beard on occasional
Saturday mornings so that he could play golf
on some country links in the pleasant OBJ
security of his disguise.
"She was not to know, of course, that the
bearded husband who left her on Saturday
mornings with his bag of clubs was. in fact
on his way to small house in an outlying
suburb, where he would spend the day; and