Summary

“The Third Wife” is related from the perspective of a third person narrator. The main character in this story is a man with many names. He has spent his life marrying a number of wealthy women and devising plans to leave them and take their money on his way out. Right now, he is living as Stan and is married to a woman named Molly. She brings him to a home she wants to buy for them. Stan reflects on the fact that he will leave Molly soon, and he spends most of his time touring the house thinking about the most elegant and safe way to leave her while simultaneously robbing her.

Stan also reflects on how he left his other wives, Sandra and Louise. He applauds himself for being so elegant and successful in his money transfers. Molly shows him...