"You mean," said the detective, "that the man did not give you his name. He must have one, of course. Show him in."
A minute later the stranger entered, and, bowing courteously, began the conversation at once.
"Mr. Barnes, the famous detective, I believe?" said he.
"My name is Barnes," replied the detective. "May I have the pleasure of knowing yours?"
"I sincerely hope so," continued the stranger. "The fact is, I suppose I have forgotten it."
"Forgotten your name?" Mr. Barnes scented an interesting case, and became doubly attentive.
"Yes," said the visitor; "that is precisely my singular predicament. I seem to have lost my identity. That is the object of my call. I wish you to discover who I am. As I am evidently a full-grown man, I can certainly claim that I have a past history, but to me that past is entirely blank. I awoke this morning in this condition, yet apparently in possession of all my faculties, so much so, that I at once saw the advisability of consulting a first-class detective, and, upon inquiry, I was directed to you."
"Your case is most interesting—from my point of view, I mean. To you, of course, it must seem unfortunate. Yet it is not unparalleled. There have been many such cases recorded, and, for your temporary relief, I may say that, sooner or later, complete restoration of memory usually occurs. But now, let us try to unravel your mystery as soon as possible, that you may suffer as little inconvenience as there need be. I would like to ask you a few questions."
"As many as you like, and I will do my best to answer."
"Do you think that you are a New Yorker?"