“Again, we might go out some evening, and, while we were together, meet with a person of whom I would say, ‘Max, that young woman reminds me of your wife’s sister,’ and I would be surprised when you replied that they were no more alike than chalk and cheese. You know of instances of that kind, eh?”

“Loads of them.”

“And I don’t suppose it ever occurred to you to make any effort to explain this seemingly remarkable diversity of opinion upon a very simple and apparently plain subject, eh?”

“No, save that I have always let it go with the private opinion that the other fellow was not half as observant as I.”

“Exactly. But if you had chosen to investigate, you would have discovered a well-defined reason for the difference of opinion.”

“Humph! Well, I never thought about it. What is it?”

“This: No human being appears exactly the same to one acquaintance or friend as he does to another. To make it more plain, there are no two persons in the world to whom your personality, and therefore your appearance, is the same. The count does not look at[43] you through the same glasses that I use. The captain of your yacht does not know you as your engineer knows you, and vice versa. You have as many personalities as you have associates, acquaintances, friends—what you will.”

[43]

“I will grant you that; but what has all this to do with the particular case we are discussing?”

“Much, if you will wait till I finish.”

“All right, old man; go ahead.”

“Associated with every person alive there are points of resemblance which might be denominated common property. Another person who has been introduced to the count, as I have been this morning, would recognize him as I would, also, if they happened to encounter each other on the street; but, if you should dress the count up in a costume similar to the one the pirate wore, there is not one out of ten who would even be reminded of the count at such an encounter, unless he made some gesture—not one, but several, mind you—which would bring him to mind. I don’t know if I make myself plain.”

“Oh, yes, you do—entirely so!”

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