"Well, Batgirl. Are you ready?" asked Commissioner Gordon.
"I guess so, Commissioner." replied Batgirl. "I hope this session is a short one. I really need to be patrolling for the Mad Hatter. He sounded pretty determined to unmask me and add my cowl to his collection!"
"Let's hope and pray that doesn't happen."
“You're not kidding”, thought Batgirl.
They entered Bruner's sculpture studio and were met by the short, bearded sculptor. "Ah, Herr Gordon and Fraulein Batgirl. Zank you for returning for probably ze last zitting. Zis should be all I need to finish my masterwork!"
"I certainly hope so." replied Batgirl. "I really should be out looking for the Mad Hatter. As long as he's on the loose Gotham City is not safe!"
If they only knew that the Mad Hatter was standing before them, disguised as Bruner, Jervis Tetch thought. He had arrived earlier, overpowered the real Bruner and left him bound and gagged in the artists supply room.
"If you will take your places, we will begin." said the fake Bruner.
Batgirl and her father took their places, the Commissioner seated in a chair with Batgirl standing behind him with her hands on his shoulder. Tetch picked up a chisel and large wooden mallet and began chipping away at the head of the Batgirl statue.
"Ach, no, iss not right." muttered the Mad Hatter.
"What's wrong, Mr. Bruner?" asked Batgirl.
"It's ze head. I can't seem to get ze proportion correct. Batgirl, could I ask ze huge favor? May I use your cowl as a guide to see where I am going wrong?"
Batgirl was taken aback, but before she could answer, the Commissioner jumped in.
"See here, Mr. Bruner! Batgirl can't give you her cowl! It would reveal her true identity! Her life wouldn't be worth a plugged nickel! Barbara looked at her father with more gratitude and love than he would ever know.
"But, Commissioner, if she were to hand it to you from behind my supply room door, what would the harm be?"
"We-lll, I don't know. What do you think Batgirl?"
Batgirl replied, "I think if I can't trust the Police Commissioner, who can I trust?" as she strode toward the supply room. "I'll only be a moment."
Entering the supply room, Batgirl glanced around, making sure there were no windows where passersby could see in. Noticing only a workbench, hatrack and a big pile of boxes in one corner, she decided it was safe enough.
Reaching up to her cowl, Barbara worked her gloved thumb under one side of the mask and pulled up and back, using her free hand to keep her long-haired red in place. Moving to the closed door, Batgirl called, "All right, Commissioner, I'm ready." She turned the knob and opened the door slightly, then saw her father's hand reach through the door. As she handed him her mask, she realized how easily it would be for him to barge in the room and see her unmasked face. She hoped hewouldn't succumb to that temptation.
On the other side of the door, as he felt the mask being placed in his hand, Commissioner Gordon toyed with the idea of entering the room and finally discovering one of Gotham's greatest secrets. He had often wondered just who was behind the mask of Batgirl. He quickly realized that he would never forgive himself if he barged in, neither would his daughter, Barbara. She would be furious with him. Turning, he handed the mask to the disguised Mad Hatter.
Tetch took the mask, then went back to his workplace to retrieve the wooden mallet. All he had to do now was knock out the Commissioner and leave with his prize. Furthermore, even if Batgirl heard any commotion, she couldn't leave the supply room unmasked without revealing her true identity!
Meanwhile, in the supply room, an unexpected situation froze Barbara. She heard a weak voice: "Help! Help me someone!"
Still unmasked, she turned to where the cries came from. Searching for the source of the cries, she pulled aside the stack of boxes in the corner and found the real Bruner bound, with the gag half out of his mouth.
"Mr. Bruner, are you all right? It was the Mad Hatter was'nt it?" she asked nervously.
"Yah, yah, der Mad Hatter. He tie me up and put me here before you come. I be okay now" he said as Batgirl untied him. She should have realized it before. That Bruner had no callous from holding a mallet and chisel all day.
Realizing she could'nt leave the room unmasked, Batgirl looked around in desperation for something to hide her identity. Her eyes fell upon the hatrack. Grabbing one of the real Bruner's large fedoras, she picked up a pair of scissors from the workbench and quickly cut two eyeholes in the hat's side. Pulling it down over her wig and upper face, she realized it would have to do.
Opening the supply room door, she saw Tetch creeping up on her father's turned back, poised to strike with the mallet.
"Da--Commissioner! Look out! He's the Mad Hatter!"
Both men turned towards the direction of the warning.
"Batgirl!!--masked!" cried Tetch.
Thinking quickly, Commissioner Gordon grabbed Batgirl's cowl from the Mad Hatter's hand just as he raised his other hand and threw the heavy mallet in Batgirl's direction. Batgirl ducked almost in time, but was struck a glancing blowwhich knocked her to the floor semi-conscious. Tetch used this confusion to make his escape. On his way out the door, he noticed a large Greek column. Turning, he gave it a mighty shove in the direction of the stunned Batgirl! Acting on instinct, Commissioner Gordon closed the gap between himself and the distaff crimefighter, pulling her out of harm's way by only inches. CRASH!! The giant obelisk broke into thousands of pieces. "Batgirl, are you all right?" asked a shaken Commissioner. "Yes, thanks to you. You-you saved my life!"
Batgirl stood up in the studio with the help of her father. However, she had a sinking feeling. When she was in the supply room, Bruner saw her all the time unmasked! “He knows my dual identity! “
Commissioner was struck with the same thought almost immediately.
"Um--Mr. Bruner--did you see anything while you were tied up her?" asked the Commissioner.
"Oh, yes, of course, jah, jah!"
Barbara's heart sank. Her career was over.
"I saw Batgirl come in, take off mask, untie me, put on mask and left the room”
“Oh, No!!!” Batgirl felt she would faint.
“So, you know the secret identity of Batgirl, don’t you!!!” asked Gordon.
“Don't know who she is. I could not see her face. Mad Hatter took my glasses for his disguise and I'm half-blind without them!"
Commissioner Gordon looked at Batgirl and both breathed a sigh of relief. Bruner rose and walked past Batgirl into the supply room, leaving Barbara alone with her father.
"Ok, here's your mask. I grabbed from Tetch before he escaped. Are you sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine, really. I just don't know how to thank you for saving my life."
"Well," Commissioner Gordon began, "You could take off that make-shift cowl and show me who Batgirl really is! It would make contacting you easier when we need you."
Barbara thought for a moment Why not, she pondered. It seemed like the perfect time and after all, he had just saved her life. "And like you said earlier, if you can't trust the Police Commissioner, who can you trust?" said her father. "All right, Commissioner". Batgirl smiled, nodded and reached up to remove the hat that hid her true identity.
Commissioner Gordon couldn't believe it! Batgirl was going to reveal her secret identity to him! He would finally see her unmasked face! As she began to lift the shielding fedora, Commissioner Gordon grabbed her hands to stop the unmasking. "Of course, you realize that no one will ever learn your secret from me. Not even my daughter, Barbara!" Batgirl smiled and began to remove the make-shift cowl but suddenly she changed her mind.
"Well, what about that unmasking?"
"Commissioner, I'm sorry, but just now thinking, even for a moment, that Mr. Bruner saw me unmasked, made me realize how precious my true identity is. I--I--I just can't reveal it. Not even to you."
"I understand, Batgirl" said her father, handing her mask back to her. "Go ahead, I won't look" he said, turning his back to her.
"I know you won't. If you can't trust the Police Commissioner, who can you trust?" said Barbara. With her father's back to her, she removed Mr. Bruner's hat and stood, inches behind her father, unmasked. She hesitated as tears welled up in her eyes, and then slowly placed the cowl atop her red wig, pulling it down, hiding her true identity once again. "All right, Commissioner. You may turn around now."
Commissioner Gordon turned and Batgirl noticed that his eyes looked slightly red, also. "You know, Batgirl, when you handed me your cowl from behind the door, for a moment I was tempted to look around the door to see who you really are. To see you unmasked."
"Why didn't you?"
"I realized that it would be wrong. It wouldn't be fair of me to take advantage of you that way to learn your secret identity. But I do hope someday that you will reveal who you really are to me."
"I just might do that--someday. Commissioner, your daughter Barbara is a very lucky woman." "And your father--whomever he is--is a very lucky man!"