The tension snapped.

Choking, Kronberg fell forward at his jailer’s feet, his eyes imploring.

“Mercy,” he whispered.  “I—­I can not bear it.”

“Then you will answer what I ask?”

“Yes.”

Carl unsnapped the infernal finger-stretcher and dropped it in his pocket.

“Come,” said he not unkindly and led his weak and staggering prisoner to a room in the west wing where a log fire was blazing brightly in the fireplace.

With a moan Kronberg broke desperately away from his grasp and flung himself violently upon his knees by the fire, stretching his arms out pitifully to the blaze and chattering and moaning like a thing demented.  Carl walked away to the window.

Presently the man by the fire crept humbly to a chair, a broken creature in the clutch of fever, eyes and skin unnaturally bright.

“Here,” said Carl, pouring him some brandy from a decanter on the table.  “Sit quietly for a while and close your eyes.  Are you better now?” he asked a little later.

“Yes,” said Kronberg faintly.

“What is your real name?”

“Themar.”

“When you took service with my aunt in the spring, you were looking for a certain paper?”

“Yes.”

“Did you find it during your ten days in the town-house?”

“No.”

“How did you discover its whereabouts?”

“One night I watched you replace it in a secret drawer in your room.  Before I could obtain it, the house was closed for the summer and I was dismissed.  I had succeeded, however, in getting an impression of the desk lock.”

“You went back later?”

“Yes.  It was a summer day—­very hot.  The front door was ajar.  I opened it wider.  Your aunt sat upon the floor of the hall crying—­”

“Yes?”

“I spoke of passing and seeing the door ajar.  She recognized me as one of the servants and begged me to call a taxi.  I assisted her to the taxi and went back, having only pretended to lock the door.”

“And having disposed of her,” supplied Carl, “you flew up the stairs, applied the key made from the impression—­and stole the paper?”

“Yes.”

“Beautiful!” said Carl softly.  “How cleverly you tricked me!”

Themar shrugged.

“It was very simple.”

Carl smiled.

“Where is the paper now?” he inquired.

Themar’s face darkened.

“When later I looked in the pocket of my coat,” he admitted, “the paper had disappeared utterly.  Nor have I found it since.  It is a very great mystery—­”

“Ah!” said Carl.  “So,” he mused, “as long as the paper was in my possession, my life was safe, for you must watch me to find it.  Therefore I was not poisoned or stabbed or shot at during your original ten days of service.  Later, even though you could not lay your own hands upon the paper, things began to happen.  Knowing what I did, I had lived too long as it was.”