Question: “A mystery I propose to explain. What is the mystery the speaker proposes to explain?
Ans: The mystery that he was proposing to explain to the intruder was that he himself was a wanted criminal who was in hiding. He elaborates by saying that it was for this reason that he lived a secret life, without meeting people, and kept going from place to place to avoid being caught. The crime he was supposed to have committed was, to kill someone when things got out of hand. He says that one of his men was arrested. Besides, the police had got hold of some important papers that could be used to convict him, which his men should have burnt and destroyed. To make it furthur authentic, he says that he had packed his bag and was on his way to stage another disappearing act, as he suspected some problem that night.