motives behind them emotional

and financial troubles.

are

There is no evidence that Grayson had
emotional troubles. He married Ruth
Nightingale, an actress, before World
War I. and she died not long before his
disappearance. He was apparently de-
yoted to her and deeply grieved at her
early death. There is no suggestion that
he was involved with any other woman.

The theory often put forward that he
married a rich woman and lived under an
assumed name has no jot of evidence to
support it. Indeed, if this was the motive
for his disappearance, would he have gone
in that way, leaving behind his half-fin-
ished drink?

Financial troubles are more likely to
have disturbed Grayson. He was some-
thing of a “social lion” and liked spend-
ing. But, curiously, the stories of him
after his disappearance, if they are correct,
suggest equally that he was very rich and
very poor!

It is astonishing that he should have
been content to be “down and out” when
there was a useful disability pension due
to him. If he did not know of it before,
he must have learnt about it in 1934,
when Philip Snowden appealed to him
publicly to come forward and claim it.

He seems to have left some debts be-
hind, but there is no evidence that they
were more than the debts a fairly well-to-
do man might normally “carry.”

The most plausible theory seems to be
that Victor Grayson was suddenly stricken
by one of those attacks of amnesia which
completely blot out the past and that he
became a “new man” with a new person-
ality completely oblivious of the Vietor
Grayson who had been M.P.

Was 1? A CASE OF AMNESIA?

These attacks are rarer than writers of
fiction suggest, perhaps, but not unknown.
There have been well-authenticated cases
of men being found living hundreds and
even thousands of miles from their homes,
following new professions or trades, and
being quite unaware of their former
identity, although this has been revealed
by narcosis or hypnotism.

In the case of Victor Grayson, there
were predisposing causes. He had a very
unstable temperament and he had just
been through very trying experiences 1n
the war. His wounds may not have been
only physical ones.

Given these predisposing causes, it is not
impossible that returning to England and
finding his former fame largely faded, he
may have had a “fugue” and wandered
off to become someone else, with a dif-
ferent name and perhaps even a different
appearance.

MOTHER: “So you are not afraid to go
into hospital—that’s a good little boy.”

Little boy: “But I ain’t gonna let them
palm off a baby on me like they done to
you. I wanna pup.”

A CLERGYMAN was anxious to intro-
duce some new hymn books, so he directed
the curate to make an announcement. The
curate also had a notice concerning the
baptism of infants. Accordingly he an-
nounced, “All those who have children
they wish baptized, please send me their
names at once.”

The clergyman, who was deaf, imme-
diately arose and said, “And I want to
say, for the benefit of those who haven't
any, that they may be obtained from me
any day between three and four o'clock ;
the ordinary little ones a dollar and the
special ones with red backs at five dollars.”

DURING the Nlondyke gold rush days
a bartender in a Nome saloon handed a
glass of crystal clear water to an old sour-
dough and asked for an opinion on it.
With a wry face, the sourdough forced
half of the aqua pura down his gullet and
then, with a shake of his grizzled head,
said: “Can’t spot it at all, pard, but don't
get in a big stock. It'll never be a popular
drink.”

A BUCK private and his girl were riding
out in the country on horseback. As they
stopped for a rest, the horses rubbed
necks affectionately.

“Ah, me,” sighed the private, “that’s
just what I'd like to do.”

“Well, go ahead,” said the girl, “it’s
your horse.”

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Page Seventy-three