o; but there were reasons which prevented these things
from coming to my ears. It was my desire that an unhappy man should
vanish from the world which had known him, but I had not foreseen that
others would be affected by my actions. Let me to the best of my
ability repair the evil which I have done.

"To anyone who is acquainted with the history of the Argentine Republic
the name of Lana is well known. My father, who came of the best blood
of old Spain, filled all the highest offices of the State, and would
have been President but for his death in the riots of San Juan. A
brilliant career might have been open to my twin brother Ernest and
myself had it not been for financial losses which made it necessary
that we should earn our own living. I apologize, sir, if these details
appear to be irrelevant, but they are a necessary introduction to that
which is to follow.

"I had, as I have said, a twin brother named Ernest, whose resemblance
to me was so great that even when we were together people could see no
difference between us. Down to the smallest detail we were exactly the
same. As we grew older this likeness became less marked because our
expression was not the same, but with our features in repose the points
of difference were very slight.

"It does not become me to say too much of one who is dead, the more so
as he is my only brother, but I leave his character to those who knew
him best. I will only say--for I HAVE to say it--that in my early
manhood I conceived a horror of him, and that I had good reason for the
aversion which filled me. My own reputation suffered from his actions,
for our close resemblance caused me to be credited with many of them.
Eventually, in a peculiarly disgraceful business, he contrived to throw
the whole odium upon me in such a way that I was forced to leave the
Argentine for ever, and to seek a career in Europe. The freedom from
his hated presence more than compensated me for the loss of my native
land. I had enough money to defray my medical studies at Glasgow, and
I finally settled in practice at Bishop's Crossing, in the firm
conviction that in that remote Lancashire hamlet I should never hear of
him again.

"For years my hopes were fulfilled, and then at last he discovered me.
Some Liverpool man who visited Buenos Ayres put him upon my track. He
had lost all his money, and he thought that he would come over and
share mine. Knowing my horror of him, he rightly though