<h3> A SAFE OPENING </h3>
<p> </p>
<p>Together they entered the adjoining
room, which was small compared to the
one they had just left. Señor Rodriguez
used it as a private office. His desk was
on their right between two windows overlooking
the same pleasant little garden which was visible
from the suite of tiny drawing-rooms farther
along. The safe, a formidable looking receptacle
of black enameled steel, stood at their left,
closed and locked. The remaining wall space of
the room was given over to oak cabinets, evidently
a storage place for the less important
legation papers.</p>
<p>"Has any one besides yourself been in this
room to-day?" Mr. Grimm inquired.</p>
<p>"Not a soul, Señor," was the reply.</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm went over and examined the windows.
They were both locked inside; and there
were no marks of any sort on the sills.</p>
<p>"They are just as I left them last night," explained
Señor Rodriguez. "I have not touched
them to-day."</p>
<p>"And there's only one door," mused Mr.
Grimm, meaning that by which they had entered.
"So it would appear that whoever was here last
night entered through that room. Very well."</p>
<p>He walked around the room once, opening and
shutting the doors of the cabinets as he passed,
and finally paused in front of the safe. A brief
examination of the nickeled dial and handle and
of the enameled edges of the heavy door satisfied
him that no force had been employed—the
safe had merely been unlocked. Whereupon he
sat himself down, cross-legged on the floor, in
front of it.</p>
<p>"What are the first and second figures of the
combination?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Thirty-six, then back to ten."</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm set the dial at thirty-six, and
then, with his ear pressed closely against the
polished door, turned the dial slowly back. Señor
Rodriguez stood looking on helplessly, but none
the less intently. The pointer read ten, then
nine, eight, seven, five. Mr. Grimm gazed at it
thoughtfully, after which he did it all over
again, placidly and without haste.</p>
<p>"Now, we'll look inside, please," he requested,
rising.</p>
<p>Señor Rodriguez unlocked the safe the while
Mr. Grimm respectfully turned his eyes away,
then pulled the door wide open. The books had
been piled one on top of another and thrust into
various pigeonholes at the top. Mr. Grimm
understood that this disorder was the result of
making room at the bottom for the bulk of gold,
and asked no questions. Instead, he sat down
upon the floor again.</p>
<p>"The lock on this private compartment at the
top is broken," he remarked after a moment.</p>
<p>"<i>Si, Señor</i>," the diplomatist agreed. "Evidently
the robbers were not content with only
fifty thousand dollars in gold—they imagined
that something else of value was hidden there."</p>
<p>"Was there?" asked Mr. Grimm naively. He
didn't look around.</p>
<p>"Nothing of monetary value," the señor explained.
"There were some important state papers
in there—they are there yet—but no
money."</p>
<p>"None of the papers was stolen?"</p>
<p>"No, Señor. There were only nine packets—they are there yet."</p>
<p>"Contents all right?"</p>
<p>"Yes. I personally looked them over."</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm drew out the packets of papers,
one by one. They were all unsealed save the
last. When he reached for that, Señor Rodriguez
made a quick, involuntary motion toward
it with his hand.</p>
<p>"This one's sealed," commented Mr. Grimm.
"It doesn't happen that you opened it and sealed
it again?"</p>
<p>Señor Rodriguez stood staring at him blankly
for a moment, then some sudden apprehension
was aroused, for a startled look came into his
eyes, and again he reached for the packet.</p>
<p>"<i>Dios mio</i>!" he exclaimed, "let me see, Señor."</p>
<p>"Going to open it?" asked Mr. Grimm.</p>
<p>"Yes, Señor. I had not thought of it before."</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm rose and walked over to the window
where the light was better. He scrutinized
the sealed packet closely. There were three
red splotches of wax upon it, each impressed
with the legation seal; the envelope was without
marks otherwise. He turned and twisted it aimlessly,
and peered curiously at the various seals,
after which he handed it to the frankly impatient
diplomatist.</p>
<p>Señor Rodriguez opened it, with nervous,
twitching fingers. Mr. Grimm had turned toward
the safe again, but he heard the crackle of
parchment as some document was drawn out of
the envelope, and then came a deep sigh of relief.
Having satisfied his sudden fears for the
safety of the paper, whatever it was, the señor
placed it in another envelope and sealed it again
with elaborate care. Mr. Grimm dropped into
the swivel chair at the desk.</p>
<p>"Señor," he inquired pleasantly, "your
daughter and Miss Thorne were in this room
yesterday afternoon?"</p>
<p>"Yes," replied the diplomatist as if surprised
at the question.</p>
<p>"What time, please?"</p>
<p>"About three o'clock. They were going out
driving. Why?"</p>
<p>"And just where, please, did you find that
handkerchief?" continued Mr. Grimm.</p>
<p>"Handkerchief?" repeated the diplomatist.
"You mean Miss Thorne's handkerchief?" He
paused and regarded Mr. Grimm keenly.
"Señor, what am I to understand from that
question?"</p>
<p>"It was plain enough," replied Mr. Grimm.
"Where did you find that handkerchief?" There
was silence for an instant. "In this room?"</p>
<p>"Yes," replied Señor Rodriguez at last.</p>
<p>"Near the safe?" Mr. Grimm persisted.</p>
<p>"Yes," came the slow reply, again. "Just
here," and he indicated a spot a little to the left
of the safe.</p>
<p>"And <i>when</i> did you find it? Yesterday afternoon?
Last night? This morning?"</p>
<p>"This morning," and without any apparent
reason the diplomatist's face turned deathly
white.</p>
<p>"But, Señor—Señor, you are mistaken! There
can be nothing—! A woman! Two hundred
pounds of gold! Señor!"</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm was still pleasant about it; his
curiosity was absolutely impersonal; his eyes,
grown listless again, were turned straight into
the other's face.</p>
<p>"If that handkerchief had been there last
night, Señor," he resumed quietly, "wouldn't
you have noticed it when you placed the gold in
the safe?"</p>
<p>Señor Rodriguez stared at him a long time.</p>
<p>"I don't know," he said, at last. He dropped
back into a chair with his face in his hands.
"Señor," he burst out suddenly, impetuously,
after a moment, "if the gold is not recovered I
am ruined. You understand that better than I
can tell you. It's the kind of thing that could
not be explained to my government." He rose
suddenly and faced the impassive young man,
with merciless determination in his face. "You
must find the gold, Señor," he said.</p>
<p>"No matter who may be—who may suffer?"
inquired Mr. Grimm.</p>
<p>"Find the gold, Señor!"</p>
<p>"Very well," commented Mr. Grimm, without
moving. "Do me the favor, please, to regain
possession of the handkerchief you just returned
to Miss Thorne, and to send to me here your secretary,
Señor Diaz, and your servants, one by
one. I shall question them alone. No, don't be
alarmed. Unless they know of the robbery they
shall get no inkling of it from me. First, be
good enough to replace the packet in the safe,
and lock it."</p>
<p>Señor Rodriguez replaced the packet without
question, afterward locking the door, then went
out. A moment later Señor Diaz appeared.
He remained with Mr. Grimm for just eight
minutes. Señor Rodriguez entered again as his
secretary passed on, and laid a lace handkerchief
on the desk. Mr. Grimm stared at it curiously
for a long time.</p>
<p>"It's the same handkerchief?"</p>
<p>"<i>Si, Señor</i>."</p>
<p>"There's no doubt whatever about it?"</p>
<p>"No, Señor, I got it by—!"</p>
<p>"It's of no consequence," interrupted Mr.
Grimm. "Now the servants, please—the men
first."</p>
<p>The first of the men servants was in the room
two minutes; the second—the butler—was there
five minutes; one of the women was not questioned
at all; the other remained ten minutes.
Mr. Grimm followed her into the hall; Señor
Rodriguez stood there helpless, impatient.</p>
<p>"Well?" he demanded eagerly.</p>
<p>"I'm going out a little while," replied Mr.
Grimm placidly. "No one has even an intimation
of the affair—please keep the matter absolutely
to yourself until I return."</p>
<p>That was all. The door opened and closed,
and he was gone.</p>
<p>At the end of an hour he returned, passed on
through to the diplomatist's private office, sat
down in front of the locked safe again, and set
the dial at thirty-six. Señor Rodriguez looked
on, astonished, as Mr. Grimm pressed the soft
rubber sounder of a stethoscope against the
safe door and began turning the dial back toward
ten, slowly, slowly. Thirty-five minutes
later the lock clicked. Mr. Grimm rose, turned
the handle, and pulled the safe door open.</p>
<p>"That's how it was done," he explained to
the amazed diplomatist. "And now, please, have
a servant hand my card to Miss Thorne."</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<SPAN name="CH11"><!-- CHAPTER 11 --></SPAN>
<h3> XI </h3>
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