The Story so Far: Algernon
has received a series of greetings cards from the terrifically attractive Mavis
Wright, a woman who causes our hero a good deal of nervousness. In each card (and quite suggestively to
Algernon’s mind) she has placed a large X
after her name. Now they meet up at the
Cafe Deluxe and Mavis continues in the same vein:
Mavis showily places on the table a
book she has been reading. It is called The Confessions of A Marrying Man. She winks at Algernon.
“Completely X-rated,” she says.
“More likely X-(agge)rated,” sniffs Algernon.
“No, really,” says Mavis. “First he X her on the carpet, then he X
her on the stairs, and finally he X
her on the telephone ...”
Algernon gasps.
“He does what?”
“He X her to marry him, of course,” says
Mavis.
(Algernon,
naturally, has forgotten what a refined way of speaking Mavis has.)
“But no doubt he was
carrying on with other women at the same time?” he demands.
“No,” says Mavis,
“he really had put all his X in one
basket.”
Mavis picks up a
little teaspoon and stirs her coffee with brisk satisfaction
while Algernon
sighs, wonders Y things are never simple,
and puts hi’ Z in his hands.