She was somewhat under the influence of liquor that night, and the
information I secured from her was of such a kind that it almost drove
me mad with jealousy, and in a fit of frenzy I stabbed her to death with
her own toy dagger and left her lying on the bed. The next morning I
quietly boarded the steamer for Europe, and keeping out of sight until
away from land, I started to go to the purser's office to pay for my
passage, when the very first person I met was you. You can well imagine
how it startled me to see one whom I thought was dead. But after the
first shock had passed away, and learning from the list that Arletta
Wright was a passenger, I gave the whole matter thoughtful consideration
and finally concluded that Arletta Fogg and Arletta Wright were two
different persons and that the other was merely a beautiful adventuress
and your double.
"'Well, you know the rest. You never would care for me, and as the great
wealth I so wrongfully acquired cannot buy happiness of peace of mind, I
shall ask God to forgive my sins and then blow out the brains that have
become so useless.
"'Somewhere in this world the right John Convert may be earning his
bread by the sweat of his brow, entirely ignorant of the fact that he is
a millionaire by birth, for it was his father's intention never to
disclose this secret to him, preferring that he should spend his time as
a useful laborer, rather than a moneyed loafer, living without work.
Whether he resembles me at this age or not, I cannot say.
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