We shook hands, and he sat down and plunged at once, without an instant's hesitation, into the business which had brought him. Looking back at it, understanding as I do now the delicate nature of that business, I admire more and more that bluff readiness; though the more I think of it, the more I am convinced that he had thought out definitely beforehand precisely what he was going to say. The man who can carry through a carefully premeditated scene with an air of complete unpremeditation has an immense advantage. "Mr. Lester," he began, "I understand that you are the administrator of the estate of the late Philip Vantine?" "Our firm is," I corrected. "But you, personally, have been attending to his business?" "Yes." "He was a collector of old furniture, I believe?" "Yes." "And on his last trip to Europe, from which he returned only a few days ago, he purchased of Armand & Son, of Paris, a Boule cabinet?" I could not repress a start of astonishment. "Are you acting for Armand & Son?" I queried. "Not at all. I am acting for a lady whom, for the present, we will call Madame X." The thought flashed through my mind that Madame X. and the mysterious Frenchwoman might be one and the same person. Then I put aside the idea as absurd. Sereno Hornblower would never accept such a client. "Mr. Vantine did buy such a cabinet," I said. "And it is in your possession?" "There is at his residence a Boule cabinet which was shipped him from Paris, but, only a few hours before his death, Mr. Vantine assured me that it was not the one he had purchased." "You mean that a mistake had been made in the shipment?" "That is what we supposed, and a cablegram from Armand & Son has since confirmed it." Mr. Hornblower pondered this for a moment. "Where is the cabinet which Mr. Vantine did buy?" he asked at last. "I have no idea. Perhaps it is still in Paris. But I am expecting a representative of the Armands to call very soon to straighten things out." Again my companion fell silent, and sat rubbing his chin absently. "It is very strange," he said, finally. "If the cabinet was still at Paris, one would think it would have been discovered before my client made inquiry about it." "There are a good many things which are strange about this whole matter," I supplemented. "Would you have any objection to my client seeing this cabinet, Mr. Lester?" It was my turn to hesitate. "Mr. Hornblower," I said, finally, "I will be frank with you. There is a certain mystery surrounding this cabinet which we have not been able to solve. I suppose you have read of the mysterious deaths of Mr. Vantine and of an unknown Frenchman, both in the same room at the Vantine house, and both apparently from the same cause?" He nodded. "Do you mean that this cabinet is connected with them in any way?" he asked quickly.