as written masterpieces on this subject, which express the
truth exactly, but he has omitted to mention the last phenomenon, which
_I_ will tell you. Yes, I, a criminal, feel a terrible wish for somebody
to know of my crimes, and, when this requirement is satisfied, my secret
has been revealed to a confidant, I shall be tranquil for the future, and
be freed from this demon of perversity, which only tempts us once. Well!
Now that is accomplished. You shall have _my_ secret; from the day that
you recognize me by my eyes, you will try and find out what I am guilty
of, and how I was guilty, and you will discover it, being a master of
your profession, which, by-the-bye, has procured you the honor of having
been chosen by me to bear the weight of this secret, which now is shared
by us, and by us two alone. I say, advisedly, _by us two alone_. You
could not, as a matter of fact, prove the reality of this secret to
anyone, unless I were to confess it, and I defy you to obtain my public
confession, as I have confessed it to you, _and without danger to
myself_."

* * * * *

Three months later, Monsieur de Vargnes met Monsieur X---- at an evening
party and at first sight, and without the slightest hesitation, he
recognized in him those very pale, very cold, and very clear blue eyes,
eyes which it was impossible to forget.

The man himself remained perfect impassive, so that Monsieur de Vargnes
was forced to say to himself:

"Probably I am the sport of a hallucination at this moment, or else there
are two pairs of eyes that are perfectly similar, in the world. And what
eyes! Can it be possible?"

The magistrate instituted inquiries into his life, and he discovered
this, which removed all his doubts.

Five years previously, Monsieur X---- had been a very poor, but very
brilliant medical student, who, although he never took his doctor's
degree, had already made himself remarkable by his microbiological
researches.

A young and very rich widow had fallen in love with him and married him.
She had one child by her first marriage, and in the space of six months,
first the child and then the mother died of typhoid fever, and thus
Monsieur X---- had inherited a large fortune, in due form, and without
any possible dispute. Everybody said that he had attended to the two
patients with the utmost devotion. Now, were these two deaths the two
crimes mentioned in his letter?

But then, Monsieur X---- must