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I spoke of the resemblance, and Old Dan at first drew back within himself. Then he began to question me eagerly about the man. And presently he had let us know who he was.

“Yes,” he said, “you are right. There is a strong resemblance between us, or there was when we were young. I have not seen him for more than forty years. He is my brother–younger than I. You know what the family has been in New England. There has not been a generation of it for a hundred, yes, a hundred and fifty years, that has not made its influence felt either in Massachusetts or the nation. I cut loose from it before I was twenty, and they have known nothing about me since. In fact, they think me dead–they thought I died then, and I do not intend they shall ever know that I did not. This is the first time since I left that anybody has known my real name, and you ‘ll do me a favor if you never speak of it to any one else, here or elsewhere. I have not always been known by the same name since then, but what difference does that make? When a man leads as many different lives as I have done, he has a right to more names than one or two.

“I was in Harvard College and it was the summer vacation after my junior year. Every male member of our family”–Old Dan spoke that “our” with timid and shame-faced, but very evident, pride–“for I don’t know how many generations, has gone to Harvard, and I suppose I am the only one of the whole lot of them that didn’t graduate. I went to New York that summer to transact some business for my father. I succeeded with it very well, but in the meantime I did n’t neglect the opportunities of enjoying myself with a good deal more freedom than I would have dared to take at home. I probably was n’t born quite up to the high standard of morality, dignity, and self-respect which my ancestors had set; and if I had stayed there all my life I would probably have found living up to it either very galling or quite impossible. I dare say it is just as well that I did break loose and burn the bridge behind me, for if I had stayed in New England it’s likely I should have turned out a black sheep and brought shame and disgrace upon my people.

“While I was in New York I fell in with a pleasant, companionable man, some years older than myself. He went around with me a good deal, took me to his home, where I met his wife and sister, gave me sensible advice about a number of things, and was altogether so entertaining and so kind and such a good fellow that I thought myself fortunate in having met him.

“One evening, when I was almost ready to return to Boston, I dined with him at his home. He had had me there to dinner several times, and the evening had always passed off pleasantly. But on this evening I drank more wine than was good for me. Probably it was doctored, but I don’t know. All my life, whenever I have taken a glass too much, one sure result has followed. All the restraints of conduct which I ordinarily feel drop away, and I become reckless.

“So this evening, when he brought out cards and we began to bet on the game, both my moral sense and my prudence deserted me. I drank more and more, and bet higher and higher, and after a while I realized that he had won from me quite a sum of money which I had neglected to send to my father during the day.