JOY DAYS FOR A “DOUBLE.”

Hokitika Guardian, 18 February 1929, Page 7

JOY DAYS FOR A “DOUBLE.”

LIFE IN WEALTHY HOUSE. BUDAPEST, December 23. .U. Entire l’alli’s 'confortable villa on tho Gellort lliill in Hilda is tenanttod lor only a. lew days every month, as the owner has a- pleasant estate in Nogradvcroce, where, being an ardent sportsman, lie spends most of his time. A butler, a footman, a chambermaid, a chauffeur, and the concierge and his wife are maintained to provide for 51. Palfi’s needs on the few occasions when ne resides in Budapest. At the end of last July lie gave the staff a holiday, intimating that he would not return to Budapest for at least a month. On August 8 lie was, however, obliged to return unexpectedly on business.

Believing his villa to be closed, lie arranged to meet a. business friend in a cafe in the And missy-street. There, as he sat at a table at a window, 51. Palfi saw his own blue touring car driven by his own chauffeur, pulling up in a traffic block not ten yards away. Three minutes later M. Palfi was stupefied to discover that the person sitting in the back of his car, whom ho had belaboured with a stick, was an almost exact replica of himself. Voice, hair, countenance, height, figure were to all intents and purposes the same,

When 51. Palfi turned to his chaffeur for un explanation and this person replied that he was driving M. Palfi’s twin brother, the real M. Palfi feared for his sanity. He was glad, at the request of a policeman, to step into his ciir and instruct the chaffeur to drive him, his alter ego, and the policeman to the nearest police station. There and at the trial of the spurious M. Palfi which lias just concluded in Budapest the mvstcrv was unravelled.

Paul Keiincssey, Transylvanian refugee, had been down on his luck for mony months. While sitting in a cafe studying the “situations vacant’’ advertisements in the newspapers, lie noticed the extraordinary likeness between himself and M. Palfi, who happened to be sitting at a. table near by. Havng made inquiries conccrnng 51. Palfi’s habits, lie conceived the idea of living in luxury in M. Palfi’s villa while the owner was In Nograveroce. Posing as 51. Palfi, he went to the vijjMjHk formed the servants that changed his mind about going anu that they must postpone their holm day.

Every night for a week he ordered an excellent dinner, and in the daytime he drove about in 51. Palfi’s car. He allayed the suspicions of the chaffeur- by explaining that he was 51. Palfi’s twin Smother and was occuping the villa till his brother returned to Budapest.

Ho that the other servants should no notice tile difference between hi s own habits and those of their employer he stayed out all day. This plan also had the merit of keeping the chaffeur too busy to compare notes with the otliei servants. 51. Palfi, who lias a sense of humour, refrained from taking ail action against Kciiesscv, who has been sentenced merely to a line of 203 pengos (£7 Is.) lor the technical offence of “infringement of domicliary peace.”