"The secret of success," he observed.

Every one present looked at Archie, who had sunk back in his chair white
to the lips. He seemed to be trying to say something, but nothing came
of it.

And then, quite calmly, ending a silence more terrible than any tumult
of words, another voice made itself heard.

"Even so, Mr. Norton." West bent forward and with the utmost composure
possessed himself of the shining thing upon the table. "This is my
property. I have been rooking you fellows all the evening."

The avowal was so astounding and made with such complete _sang-froid_
that no one uttered a word. Only every one turned from Archie to stare
at the man who thus serenely claimed his own.

He proceeded with unvarying coolness to explain himself.

"It was really done as an experiment," he said. "I am not a card-sharper
by profession, as some of you already know. But in the course of certain
investigations not connected with the matter I now have in hand, I
picked this thing up, and, being something of a specialist in certain
forms of cheating, I made up my mind to try my hand at this and prove
for myself its extreme simplicity. You see how easy it is to swindle,
gentlemen, and the danger to which you expose yourselves. There is no
necessity for me to explain the trick further. The instrument speaks for
itself. It is merely a matter of dexterity, and keeping it out of
sight."

He held it up a second time before his amazed audience, twisted it this
way and that, with the air of a conjurer displaying his smartest trick,
attached it finally to the lapel of his coat, and rose.

"As a practical demonstration it seems to have acted very well," he
remarked. "And no harm done. If you are all satisfied, so am I."

He collected the notes at his elbow with a single careless sweep of the
hand, and tossed them into the middle of the table; then, with a brief,
collective bow, he turned to go. But Rudd, the first to recover from his
amazement, sprang impetuously to his feet. "One moment, sir!" he said.

West stopped at once, a cold glint of humour in his eyes. Without a sign
of perturbation he faced round, meeting the American's hostile scrutiny
calmly, judicially.

"I wish to say," said Rudd, "on behalf of myself, and--I think I may
take it--on behalf of these other gentlemen also, that your action was a
most dastardly piece of impertinence, to give it its tamest name.
Naturally, we don't expect Court manners from one of your pro