here was
one other entry in the same month, same day, and nearly the same hour as
my own.

"At nine at night, a male infant left at the door in a basket, parties
absconded, no marks, named Anselmo."

"At ten at night, a male infant brought to the door in a capote, parties
absconded, no marks, named Jacobo."

It appeared then that there were two children brought within an hour of
each other to the Asylum, and that I was one of them. In the evening I
returned to the old lady, and accidentally resumed the subject of her
not having made further search for her child, and asked if she had the
precise date. She answered that she had it in her memory too well, that
it was on the 18th of February; and that when she referred to the
Asylum, they had informed her that the children brought in February had
no marks; that they had all been sent away, but where they could not
tell, as the former governor had died, and he was the only person who
could give the information. That either I or the other was her child
was clear, but to prove which, was impossible. It however made me less
scrupulous about my plan of proceeding, which was to identify myself
with the child she had lost. It was useless to prove that I was sent in
on that day as there was a competitor; besides which, my monastic vows
were at variance with my speculation: I therefore resolved to satisfy
her, if I could not satisfactorily prove it to myself or to the rest of
the world, and I took my measures accordingly.

It was in my worldly disguise, that I determined to attempt my purpose;
and as it was necessary to have a wart on my neck, I resolved to obtain
one as soon as possible. This was easily managed: a friar of the
convent was troubled with these excrescences, and I jocularly proposed a
trial to see whether it was true that the blood of them would inoculate.
In a fortnight, I had a wart on my finger which soon became large, and
I then applied the blood of it to my neck. Within three months I had a
large wart on the back of my neck, or rather a conglomeration of them,
which I had produced by inoculation, assisted by constant irritation:
during this period I was not so frequent in my attendance upon the old
lady, excusing myself on account of the duties of the convent which
devolved upon me. The next point was, how to introduce myself in my
other apparel. This required some reflection, as it would be but
occasionally that I could make my appearance. After so