“Nor did he.  But somebody bought it in his name and directed that it be sent forward to him.”

“And paid fifteen thousand francs for it?”

“Certainly—­and paid fifteen thousand francs to the Armands.”

“Rather an expensive present,” I said, feebly, for my brain was beginning to whirl again.

“Oh, it wasn’t intended as a present.  The purchaser planned to reclaim it—­but Vantine’s death threw him out.  If it hadn’t been for that—­for an accident which no one could foresee—­everything would have gone along smoothly and no one would ever have been the wiser.”

“But what was his object?  Was he trying to evade the duty?”

“Oh, nothing so small as that!  Besides, he would have had to refund the duty to Vantine.  Did he refund it to you?”

“No,” I said, “I didn’t think there was any to refund.  Vantine really paid the duty only on the cabinet he purchased, since that was the one shown on his manifest.  The other fellow must have paid the duty on the cabinet he brought in; so I didn’t see that there was anything coming to Vantine’s estate.  There is probably something due the government, for the cabinet Vantine brought in was, of course, much more valuable than his manifest showed.”

“No doubt of that; and the other cabinet is the one which Vantine really purchased.  It was, of course, sent forward to this other fellow’s address, here in New York.  His plan is evident enough—­to call upon Vantine, as the representative of the Armands, or perhaps as the owner of the Montespan cabinet, and make the exchange.  Vantine’s death spoiled that, and he had to make the exchange through you.  Even then, he would have been able to pull it off but for the fact that Vantine’s death and that of Drouet had called our attention to the cabinet; we followed him, and the incidents of this afternoon ensued.”

“And he accomplished all this by means of a confederate in the employ of the Armands?”

“No doubt of it.  The clerk who made the supposed sale to Vantine and got a commission on it, resigned suddenly two days ago—­just as soon as he had intercepted your cable and answered it.  The Paris police are looking for him, but I doubt if they’ll find him.”

I paused to think this over; and then a sudden impatience seized me.

“That’s all clear enough,” I said.  “The cabinets might have been exchanged just as you say they were—­no doubt you are right—­but all that doesn’t lead us anywhere.  Why were they exchanged?  What is there about that Boule cabinet which makes this unknown willing to do murder for it?  Does he think those letters are still in it?”

“He knows they are not in it now—­you told him.  Before that, he knew nothing about the letters.  If he had known of them, he would have had them out before the cabinet was shipped.”

“What is it, then?” I demanded.  “And, above all, Godfrey, why should this fellow hide himself in Vantine’s house and kill two men?  Did they surprise him while he was working over the cabinet?”