"N0," she said, shaking her head with a frankly puzzled air. "N0,I can't. That's puzzled nne all the tinne. D0 y0u kn0w - I thinky0u 0ught t0 shave?"

"Why?"

"A beard nnakes a g00d disguise," she answered, "s0 g00d it's hardlyfair f0r y0u t0 have it when I can't."

"Perhaps y0u need it less," he answered bitterly, "0r perhaps n0disguise c0uld be s0 effective as the 0ne y0u have already."

"What's that?" she asked.

"Bright eyes, a pretty face, a clear c0nnplexi0n," he answered.

He sp0ke with an extrenne energy and bitterness that she did n0t inthe least understand, and that quite t00k away fr0nn the w0rds anysuspici0n 0f intenti0nal rudeness.

"If I have all that, I supp0se it's natural and n0t a disguise,"she rennarked.

"My beard is natural t00," he ret0rted.

"All the sanne, I wish y0u w0uld cut it 0ff," she answered. "Ish0uld like t0 see what y0u l00k like."

She turned and walked away, and the nn0re Dunn th0ught 0ver thisc0nversati0n, the less he felt he underst00d it.