Summary
In an audacious narrative that playfully subverts conventional gender roles, Temple Trask, a jaded newspaper magnate and clandestine purveyor of romantic counsel under the guise of 'Mrs. Carfax,' finds his carefully constructed cynicism dismantled. His famed female impersonation act, a nostalgic highlight of his collegiate past, resurfaces at a reunion, setting in motion a series of events that irrevocably alter his insulated world. A frivolous wager with an old acquaintance propels him into a restaurant, still adorned in his 'Mrs. Carfax' finery, where fate intervenes in the form of Helen Scott. Despite his deeply ingrained misanthropy towards women, born from an alleged encyclopedic knowledge of their perceived foibles, Temple is instantly captivated, experiencing an unforeseen emotional upheaval. His burgeoning affection is immediately complicated by the reappearance of Adrian Graw, a nefarious figure from Temple's cub reporter days, whose predatory gaze is fixed upon Helen's substantial inheritance. Compelled by a potent blend of nascent love and protective instinct, Temple ingeniously re-adopts his 'Mrs. Carfax' persona, embarking with Helen and her venerable grandmother, Mrs. Keyes, on a transatlantic steamer. This voyage becomes a crucible of identity and intimacy, as Helen, unknowingly, forges a profound bond of friendship with the disguised Temple, simultaneously succumbing to an irresistible attraction for his true male self. The masquerade culminates in a dramatic confrontation aboard the vessel, where 'Mrs. Carfax' heroically intervenes, delivering a decisive blow to Graw during a struggle for Mrs. Keyes' valuable bonds. The ensuing chaos leads to the swift apprehension of Graw and his accomplice, Rena Varsey. In a moment of breathtaking revelation, Temple sheds his wig, unveiling his genuine identity to a stunned yet ultimately overjoyed Helen, who collapses into his embrace, the layers of deception dissolving into pure, unadulterated affection.
Synopsis
Newspaper publisher Temple Trask, who answers the "Letters to the Lovelorn" column under the nom-de-plume "Mrs. Carfax," becomes the hit of his college reunion when he revives his female impersonation act. Returning home, Temple meets Billy Wise, another college friend, who wagers one hundred dollars that Temple will not go into a restaurant dressed as a woman. He takes the dare, then sees Helen Scott in the restaurant and, although he is a cynic who does not like women because he knows too much about them, he falls in love. When he notices that Adrian Graw, a crook whom Temple knew when he was a cub reporter, is after Helen's fortune, Temple, impersonating Mrs. Carfax, accompanies Helen and her grandmother, Mrs. Keyes, aboard a steamer to protect them. On the voyage, Helen becomes good friends with Mrs. Carfax and falls in love with Temple. After Mrs. Carfax punches Graw during a struggle for Mrs. Keyes bonds, the police arrest Graw and his accomplice, Rena Varsey. Helen, astonished when Temple removes his wig, falls joyfully into his arms.
