I was listening intently now, as you may well believe, for I began to see whither the romance was tending.

“It is by this secret,” Godfrey continued, “that Armand preserves his absolute supremacy.  But occasionally the temptation is too great, and one of his men deserts.  Armand sends this cabinet to America.  He knows that in this case the temptation is very great indeed; he fears treachery, and he arranges in the cabinet a mechanism which will inflict death upon the traitor in precisely the same way in which he himself inflicts it—­by means of a poisoned stab in the right hand.  Imagine the effect upon his gang.  He is nowhere near when the act of treachery is performed, and yet the traitor dies instantly and surely!  Why, it was a tremendous idea!  And it was carried out with absolute genius.”

“But,” I questioned, “what act of treachery was it that Armand feared?”

“The opening of the secret drawer.”

“Then you still believe in the poisoned mechanism?”

“I certainly do.  The tragedy of this afternoon proves the truth of the theory.”

“I don’t see it,” I said, helplessly.

“Why, Lester,” protested Godfrey, “it’s as plain as day.  Who was that bearded giant who was killed?  The traitor, of course.  We will find that he was a member of Armand’s gang.  He followed Armand to America, lay in wait for him, caught him in the net and bound him hand and foot.  Do you suppose for an instant that Armand was ignorant of his presence in that house?  Do you suppose he would have been able to take Armand prisoner if Armand had not been willing that he should?”

“I don’t see how Armand could help himself after that fellow got his hands on him.”

“You don’t?  And yet you saw yourself that he was not really bound —­that he had cut himself loose!”

“That is true,” I said, thoughtfully.

“Let us reconstruct the story,” Godfrey went on rapidly.  “The traitor discovers the secret of the cabinet; he follows Armand to New York, shadows him to the house on Seventh Avenue, waits for him there, and seizes and binds him.  He is half mad with triumph—­he chants a crazy sing-song about revenge, revenge, revenge!  And, in order that the triumph may be complete, he does not kill his prisoner at once.  He rolls him into a corner and proceeds to rip away the burlap.  His triumph will be to open the secret drawer before Armand’s eyes.  And Armand lies there in the corner, his eyes gleaming, because it is really the moment of his triumph which is at hand!”

“The moment of his triumph?” I repeated.  “What do you mean by that, Godfrey?”

“I mean that, the instant the traitor opened the drawer, he would be stabbed by the poisoned mechanism!  It was for that that Armand waited!”

I lay back in my chair with a gasp of amazement and admiration.  I had been blind not to see it!  Armand had merely to lie still and permit the traitor to walk into the trap prepared for him.  No wonder his eyes had glowed as he lay there watching that frenzied figure at the cabinet!