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262 THE CONFESSION OF A FOOL
The facts, albeit disguised in this way, must have been
plain enough to the publisher ; for although the latter
knew that Marie was a translator, lie did not know that
I edited her translations and paid her the proceeds of her
work without condition or deduction.
Matters did not improve when the unfortunate photo-
grapher discovered that his daughter, whom he idolised,
had come into the world prematurely and was not his
child at all, that he had been duped by his wife when she
had prevailed on him to marry her.
To complete his degradation the deceived husband
accepted a large sum from the old lover in lieu of damages.
In this I saw an allusion to Marie’s loan which the
Baron had guaranteed ; it was the same guarantee which
I had been compelled to countersign on our wedding-day.
I could not, at first, see any similitude between the
illegitimate birth of the child in the play and my own
case, for my little daughter was not born until two years
after our marriage.
But I reflected. . . . What about the child who died ? . . .
I was on the right tack ! . . . Poor little dead baby ! . . .
It had been the cause of our marriage which otherwise
might never have taken place.
I knew that my conclusion was not altogether sound,
nevertheless I had arrived at a conclusion of some sort.
Everything fitted in. Marie had visited the Baron after
the divorce, he was on friendly terms with us, the walls
of my home were decorated with his pictures, there was
the loan, and all the rest of it.
I was determined to act, and laid my plans accordingly.
I intended to suggest that Marie should draw up an
indictment, or rather a defence, which would clear us
both, for both of us had been attacked by the feminists’
man of straw ; he, doubtless, had been bribed into
undertaking this profitable job.
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