were limited. Though dreading
these visits, there yet was a sort of fascination in my strange part.
The reaction from such strain was so depressing that I sought relief in
renewed excitement, and despite fear and loathing, felt a growing
passion and feverish zeal for success in outwitting these villains who
were responsible for all my sorrows. The more to stimulate Paul's
disclosures of past villainies, I made suggestive hints at infatuation
for dubious exploits and admiration of cruel, vengeful, crafty successes
which elude detection.

"Paul grows more confidingly boastful, omitting many connecting
circumstances.

"All the main facts of his Northfield and London crimes are related, but
with ingenious disguises.

"For some of the parts in these tragedies, fictitious characters are
substituted in place of real actors and the places are changed.

"I appear wonderfully thrilled at these recitals, and ask many questions
about obscure parts, insisting on frequent repetitions.

"Pierre Lanier accepted numerous invitations to dine with Sir Charles
Chesterton.

"At first Uncle Thomas showed lack of interest in Pierre's guarded talk.
As the intimacy between the two grew closer, Pierre relaxed much of his
secretive caution. Over their glasses Uncle Thomas and Pierre seemed to
compete with each other in tales of villainous performances. When Pierre
grew unusually confidential, and touched on Calcutta or London crimes,
Uncle Thomas would show signs of approval, but sometimes appeared to
caution his guest against indiscreet revelations. After relating some
horrible yarns about his own successes in amassing fabulous wealth and
merciless crushing of all who impeded him in such schemes, Uncle Thomas
would say:

"'It is not proper for me to enjoin secrecy. I know you will never
betray a friend's trust.'

"Pierre grows more confidential. He boasts of having acquired vast
interests in Calcutta and India. With some changes, he tells about his
heartless persecution, under friendly guise, of a slow-witted,
unsuspecting, rich Englishman, a former associate in large business
enterprises.

"Having induced this partner to make some large cash advances upon
collaterals, and himself received the bulk of the money, he then brought
about a crisis in which the Englishman required much ready funds. When,
through Pierre's scheme, it became impossible for the partner to tide
over such shortage, a Shylock accomplice, upon most grinding terms