you, and, therefore, there was, in his opinion, no occasion to conceal those attributes and characteristics to which I have already referred.”

“I am beginning to catch on to your idea.”

“Therefore, he brought his attributes and his characteristics with him. He did not think it necessary to put them aside with his citizens’ clothing. He wore them, just as he wore his arms, his legs, and his head—because they were a necessary part of him.”

“Precisely. I see the point.”

“Now, you, Miss Harlan and your wife had no means of identifying the man himself; you could only identify his characteristics.”

“I like attributes better; the word comprehends more.”

“All right. Let it go at that. You could only identify[47] his attributes; that is to say, his gestures, mannerisms, the keynote of his voice, rather than the voice itself; his carriage; his step in walking, rather than the walk itself——”

[47]

“You refer to the method of putting his foot to the deck—that is what I noticed.”

“Yes; his method of putting his foot down. That is inevitably a family characteristic, and may be almost invariably recognized, whether a man is bow-legged, halt, or crippled in any way. You could only recognize the outward visible signs. Your wife and her sister were in the same category. There was no suggestion made to any one of you, or between any two of you. In each case it was an individual opinion, based upon some recognized quality.”

“By Jove, Nick!”

“With you, that recognized quality consisted in his manner of putting his feet to the deck when he walked; in the cases of your wife and her sister, the quality was doubtless a different one in each case, so we may conclude that there were at least three separate and distinct characteristics which led three people to the same conclusion; and bear in mind that not one of you three people is a close observer. Bear in mind, also, that not one of the three were expecting what was discovered, but that the thing you did discover was an unmistakable suggestion of the personality of your guest, the Count of Cadillac.”

“Great Jehoshaphat, Nick! What in the world do you mean to try to deduce from all that? Eh?”

[48]

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