Colonel Arthur Trapping

Colonel Trapping was leader of the 4th Dragoon. He is poisoned at the start of the Glass Books of the Dream Eaters. By the time Miss Temple takes his coat in Harschmort House, he is dying. By the time Cardinal Chang finds him, he has been dead half an hour or so. He has been dead for a fair amount of time when Dr. Abelard Svenson is first able to see the body (he is prevented from examining it, but is able to take a glass card from the lining of his coat).

How he died and why make up a good portion of the mystery of the first novel. His wife, Charlotte Trapping, is a major part of the second.

Appearance
Trapping was a larger man with a moustache and a large neck.

Personality
From what we learn of Colonel Trapping in The Dark Volume, it is clear that Trapping somewhat resented how his status and power were all purchased with his wife's money. Furthermore, his home life would not have been very comfortable considering the strange workings of the Xonck family.

Murder
Trapping's regiment was promted shortly after the Xonck Armory struck a deal with the navy. His wife, Charlotte Trapping, was once Charlotte Xonck, the only sister of arms magnate Henry Xonck. Because of his fortunate marriage, Trapping had been able to purchase the commission giving him command of the 4th Dragoon. The Dragoon's promotion was yet another career boost for Trapping. It is a position that allowed him to scheme and manuever for favor among the powerful members of the Cabal. Trapping was able to learn important secrets and was more than willing to bargain with that information for money and power. It can be argued that his desire to obtain secrets eventually led to his death. He was poisoned at Lydia Vaandariff's engagement party at Harschmort House. His body was then placed in a coffin and sunk to the bottom of the river (as witnessed by the Doctor ). His death, however, provided necessary clues to Cardinal Chang, Miss Temple, and Svenson as to the internal squabbling and scheming happening inside the Cabal. Not the smallest clue was the blue glass card Svenson found sewn into the lining of Trapping's coat. The card not only allows Svenson to recognize Miss Temple, but helps our heroes understand the role Roger Bascombe plays with the Cabal.