I found a long-bladed
knife of curious shape, and keen as a razor, which had been brought for
what horrible purpose you may perhaps divine.

"Imagine my surprise, on dragging the man back to the carriage, to find,
instead of the ruffianly assassin I expected, a gentleman as far as
could be judged from face and manner. Fine eyes, white hands, careful
speech, all the signs of refinement and the dress of a man of means.

"'How can this be?' I said to my sister in our own tongue as we drove
away, I holding my prisoner on the opposite seat where he sat silent.

"'It is a _kulos_-man,' she said, shivering, 'it is a fiend-soul. There
are a few such in the whole world, perhaps two or three in all.'

"'But he has a good face.'

"'You have not seen his real face yet; I will show it to you,
presently.'

"In the strangeness of these happenings and the still greater
strangeness of my sister's words, I had all but lost the power of
wonder. So we sat without further word until the carriage stopped at the
little chateau we had taken near the Parc Monteau.

"I could never properly describe what happened that night; my knowledge
of these things is too limited. I simply obeyed my sister in all that
she directed, and kept my eyes on this man as no hawk ever watched its
prey. She began by questioning him, speaking in a kindly tone which I
could ill understand. He seemed embarrassed, dazed, and professed to
have no knowledge of what had occurred, or how he had come where we
found him. To all my inquiries as to the woman or the crime he shook his
head blankly, and thus aroused my wrath.

"'Be not angry with him, brother; he is not lying, it is the other
soul.'

"She asked him about his name and country, and he replied without
hesitation that he was Richard Burwell, a merchant from New York, just
arrived in Paris, travelling for pleasure in Europe with his wife and
daughter. This seemed reasonable, for the man spoke English, and,
strangely enough, seemed to have no knowledge of French, although we
both remember hearing him speak French to the woman.

"'There is no doubt,' my sister said, 'It is indeed a _kulos_-man; It
knows that I am here, that I am Its master. Look, look!' she cried
sharply, at the same time putting her eyes so close to the man's face
that their fierce light seemed to burn into him. What power she
exercised I do not know, nor whether some words she spoke,
unintelligible to me, had to do with what followed, but i