, as she paused.

"Yes; Annie told me," and she shuddered slightly.

"The cobra, too, is dead," added Godfrey. "I agree with you, Miss
Vaughan. There was a kinship between them--though the cobra turned
against him in the end. How long did he sit there?"

"I do not know--but it seemed an age to me. Finally, in despair, I had
made up my mind to try to steal away, when I heard steps in the entry.
Mahbub slipped from the divan and disappeared behind the curtains,
and then the door opened and Senor Silva and Mr. Lester entered. I
saw, at once, that there was to be another seance, and that I could
not escape, for Senor Silva sat down facing the corner where I was. I
could only brace myself against the wall and wait. It was a dreadful
ordeal. But it had its reward," she added, with a smile.

"And that was?" I asked.

"The discovery of the glove. Senor Silva suddenly switched on the
lights, and I knew that the seance was over; but he had some
difficulty in arousing you--the trance must have been a very deep
one--and finally, leaving you lying on the divan, he went to the wall,
drew aside the hangings, and pressed his hand against a panel. A
little door flew open, and I saw that there was a cupboard in the
wall. He filled a glass with some liquid, pulled the hangings into
place, and went back to you and made you drink it. It seemed to do you
good."

"Yes," I said; "it brought me around at once. And then?"

"And then, as soon as you went out together, I ran to the cupboard and
looked into it. But for a moment I was confused--I saw nothing which
seemed of any importance--some bottles and decanters and glasses, a
glass tray or two, a pile of rubber gloves. I couldn't understand. I
picked up one of the gloves and looked at it, but it was just an
ordinary glove. Then farther back, I saw some others--their
finger-tips were stained with ink--and then another, lying by itself.
I looked at it, I saw the patches on the finger-tips--I saw the
stains--and then I understood. I do not know how I understood, or
why--it was like a flash of lightning, revealing everything. And then,
as I stood there, with the glove in my hand, I heard Senor Silva
returning."

She paused a moment, and I could see the shiver which ran through her
at the recollection.

"It was not that I was afraid," she said; "it was that I seemed to be
lost. I let the draperies fall, ran to the divan and sat down before
the sphere. I could think of nothing else to do.