RANSVESTIA

the hair into place that I realised that something was wrong. That was different for there had been no accompanying crash of thunder. As I looked in the mirror, unexplained dread in my heart, a man, camera in hand, stepped through the curtains. Twice-thrice-as I rose and turned towards him the camera flashed. Sick and frightened I stood irresolute.

"Good evening my dear."

His voice was educated but much too smooth.

"I fear I must have misread the register downstairs in the lobby for I really thought that this room was occupied by a Mr. Davidson—a Mr. Keith Davidson of number 17, Porter Street in West London. I had no intention of calling on him this evening until I saw you a little while ago standing on the balcony. In fact I was so surprised to see a pretty girl in what I took to be a man's room-though why that should have surprised me I can't imagine—that I took the liberty after you had gone back indoors of crossing onto your balcony and taking a few photographs."

My brain revolved busily. Was he going to try and blackmail Keith for having a girl in his bedroom? "A pretty girl," he'd said. Karen glowed. Or was everything obvious to him and he was leading up to blackmailing Keith for being Karen? Or what?

"And yet," he went on, "I did have a reason for checking up for this afternoon I saw Mr. Davidson arrive. The contrast between the old brown workaday suitcase on the one hand and the smart and pretty woman's case on the other was very marked. And when this was taken together with only a single name in the hotel register it immediately set my imagination to work. For you see I am gay and even the tiniest clue can set my desires surging. And when I'm like that I'll go to practically any lengths to find a way to be satisfied. And this time I believe there is indeed a way."

For a moment I couldn't think what he was driving at--and then I couldn't believe what my mind was telling me.

"You see, Mr. Davidson, I hold all the cards. I know your name and address and I have a series of photographs of you. At least one of them shows you sitting at your mirror in your pretty clothes and all