[2] Ernest Ralph Gorse, a suave psychopath and conman, relocates to Reading, Berkshire, to stay at the home of a wealthy friend who is visiting Paris.

Both are charmed by Gorse, who falsely claims to have fought heroically in France during World War I, and who pretends to be the nephew of a renowned Army General.

Gorse pretends to fall in love with Mrs. Plumleigh-Bruce, and convinces her to open a joint chequeing account for the sake of making some investments and purchasing a car.

When Mrs. Plumleigh-Bruce realizes she has been duped, and Gorse has emptied their joint account, she turns to Stimpson for support, only to learn he has married her Irish maid.

Gorse returns to London, while Mrs. Plumleigh-Bruce flees Reading in embarrassment, and relocates to a boarding house on the coast, where she lives out her days.