"'My life has been a most miserable failure, and were it not for the
fact that during my last hours I feel a strong desire to try and make
amends, through you, to the man I have been impersonating for many
years, I should, quietly pass out of existence without further ado.
"'In the first place my name is not John, but Edward Convert, son of
Henry Convert, and grandson of Peter Convert, who many years ago was a
wealthy banker of London, England.
"'My grandfather had two sons; James, the elder, being my uncle, and
Henry the younger, my father.
"'About the time my father reached maturity, both he and my uncle fell
in love with beautiful twin sisters of a poor family, and in due course
of time each took one as a wife. This was done in direct opposition to
my grandfather's commands, and so incensed did he become over the
affair, that when he died shortly afterward, it was found that he had
cut them both off with a mere pittance, while the bulk of his estate
which was valued at several million pounds, was to be held in trust
until the eldest son of my uncle James had reached maturity, after which
it was to be delivered to him intact.
"'At that time neither my father nor uncle had children, and being of
different temperaments-my uncle a pious clergyman, and my father a
broker with gambling tendencies-they soon parted and lost track of each
other.
"'My parents emigrated to Canada and resided in Toronto for some years,
in which city I was born. When I was about five years of age my mother
died, and a short time later my father moved to Buffalo, N.
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