The Name by Henry Cecil Henry Cecil (pseudonym, real name Henry Cecil Leon) is an English detective story writer. He was born in Middlesex before the…

The Name by Henry Cecil Henry Cecil (pseudonym, real name Henry Cecil Leon) is an English detective story writer. He was born in Middlesex before the FirstWorld War; the author of many successful books: ‘Alibi for a Judge’, ‘Friends at Court’, ‘Sober as a Judge’ and others. ‘Settled out of Court’, in a dramatic version made by William Saroyan and the author, ran for some time at the Strand Theatre. ‘George Elephant! ’ called the Clerk in Court Number One; and a small man with glasses was brought. ‘Are you George Elephant? ’ asked the Clerk. ‘I am’. ‘You are charged with murder; that you at Golders Green on the 19th day of January 1948, murdered Jane Elephant. How say you, George Elephant, are you guilty or not guilty? ’ ‘Not guilty.’ ‘Very well,’ said the Judge. ‘You may sit down.’ Except for a few remarks on the curious name of the prisoner, few people were interested in the case. The facts as stated were very simple. On the 20th January the prisoner had walked into a police station. ‘I have cut my wife`s throat,’ he said. ‘She`s quite dead.’ It seemed true enough. Her throat seemed to have been cut with a razor which was near her body. George was born of ordinary middle-class parents at the end of the nineteenth century. There was no sign of madness in the family. On leaving school George had gone into his father`s business, and after that he had married and settled down to an ordinary life. Jane was not a particularly attractive wife. Although she was pretty, she grew fat as she grew older. She took a good deal of pleasure in laughing at George, and one of the subjects of which she never seemed to get tired was his last name. George was a little ashamed of his name, but he had never had the courage to change it. Usually, however, the owners of unfortunate names just bear them. George had certainly suffered a great deal. When he first went to school and was asked his name in front of the other boys, he replied, ‘George Elephant.’ ‘Olliphant? ’ said the master. ‘No, sir, Elephant.’ ‘What, Elephant? Like the animals? ’ ‘Yes, sir, like the animals.’ After that at school he was called by the names of all known, and some unknown, animals. George was modest, and boys at school are merciless. He was not happy there and was thankful when he left. But his troubles did not end when he left school. When he married Jane he had hoped she would make his difficulties lighter. But Jane did not mind being called Elephant; in fact she told everyone her new name. Even when she was being loving she used to call him ‘my elephant boy’, and so he was not allowed to forget. When Sir Gordon Macintosh had discovered these facts, he had no doubt at all of the proper defence to raise in the court. He immediately had George examined by famous doctors. The doctors said that the accused was not mad, but that his mind was very much affected by jokes about his name. The doctors for the defence said that the prisoner might have been made so angry by his wife`s jokes that he could not control himself. George was not found guilty of murder, but he was sent to prison with hard labour for seven years. That, however, was not the end of the matter, because the case by this time caused great public interest. In the end, so much sympathy was shown for George and so much pressure was put on the Government, that George`s time in prison was reduced from seven years to three. Two years later, just before he was let out, a priest arrived at the prison where George was. He had a talk with George. ‘Before you leave,’ said the visitor, ‘would you like to say anything to me3 in secret. Tell me, for example, what6 was it that actually led you to kill your wife? ’ ‘Well, as a matter of fact,’ said George, ‘I was fond of another woman.’ пожалуйста, очень нужно перевести, я не успеваю (