it wiser for us to stay apart for a time, yet if you say so—we will go away at once—together, forever.”
“No, no, dear, I don’t want that. I know how the world will look at us, and I know it’s best and wisest to keep our secret for a time. I can’t get used to it myself! Tommy—I think I shall always call you Tommy—you did wear a wig, didn’t you? But, as you assured me, you are not bald!”
And they laughed together at the idea.
“Also, I miss your gold teeth,” Pearl Jane went on. “That was a clever dodge.”
“Yes—I felt I must make myself into two men, as widely differentiated as possible. So the gold caps and the big glasses and the wig seemed enough, and they were enough to allay any and all suspicion.
“Though there never was any chance for suspicion. Nobody ever dreamed of the identity of the two men.”
“And did your wife suspect it? Was that why she came to the studio?”
“I think that must be the truth. At first, I couldn’t believe it, but I think now there is no other explanation. Had she made herself known to me while there, or had she taxed me with the whole thing at any time, I was quite ready to own up and confess the whole business. I was ready and willing to tell her the truth; that I couldn’t be happy at home, that I wanted a studio and a studio life, and that I had as much right to it as she had to her Bridge-playing career. The only difference was that I led my chosen life secretly, and she did not. But that was because I wanted to be left to myself and not bothered by the friends and acquaintances of our social life. Had my wife known of my studio, she would have been everlastingly coming down there and bringing her friends. That was the atmosphere I wanted to get
