"Yes--and it's that I wanted to talk to you about, I brought back six or eight pieces; I'll show them to you presently. They are all pretty good, and one is a thing of beauty. It's more than that--it's an absolutely unique work of art. Only, unfortunately, it isn't mine." "It isn't yours?" "No; and I don't know whose it is. If I did, I'd go buy it. That's what I want you to do for me. It's a Boule cabinet--the most exquisite I ever saw." "Where did it come from?" I questioned, more and more surprised. "It came from Paris, and it was addressed to me. The only explanation I can think of is that my shippers at Paris made a mistake, sent me a cabinet belonging to some one else, and sent mine to the other person." "You had bought one, then?" "Yes; and it hasn't turned up. But beside this one, it's a mere daub. My man Parks got it through the customs yesterday. As there was a Boule cabinet on my manifest, the mistake wasn't discovered until the whole lot was brought up here and uncrated this morning." "Weren't they uncrated in the customs?" "No; I've been bringing things in for a good many years, and the customs people know I'm not a thief." "That's quite a compliment," I pointed out. "They've been tearing things wide open lately." "They've had a tip of some sort, I suppose. Come in," he added, answering a tap at the door. The door opened and Vantine's man came in. "A gentleman to see you, sir," he said, and handed Vantine a card. Vantine looked at it a little blankly. "I don't know him," he said. "What does he want?" "He wants to see you, sir; very bad, I should say." "What about?" "Well, I couldn't just make out, sir; but it seems to be important." "Couldn't make out? What do you mean, Parks?" "I think he's a Frenchman, sir; anyway, he don't know much English. He ain't much of a looker, sir--I've seen hundreds like him sitting out in front of the cafés along the boulevards, taking all afternoon to drink a bock." Vantine seemed struck by a sudden idea, and he looked at the card again. Then he tapped it meditatively on the table. "Shall I show him out, sir?" asked Parks, at last. "No," said Vantine, after an instant's hesitation. "Tell him to wait," and he dropped the card on the table beside his plate. "I tell you, Lester," he went on, as Parks withdrew, "when I went downstairs this morning and saw that cabinet, I could hardly believe my eyes. I thought I knew furniture, but I hadn't any idea such a cabinet existed. The most beautiful I had ever seen is at the Louvre. It stands in the Salle Louis Fourteenth, to the left as you enter. It belonged to Louis himself. Of course I can't be certain without a careful examination, but I believe that cabinet, beautiful as it is, is merely the counterpart of this one." He paused and looked at me, his eyes bright with the enthusiasm of the connoisseur. "I'm not sure I understand your jargon," I said. "What do you mean by 'counterpart?'"