<h3> THE LACE HANDKERCHIEF </h3>
<p> </p>
<p>Still wearing the graceful, filmy morning
gown, with an added touch, of scarlet
in her hair—a single red rose—Miss
Thorne came into the drawing-room where Mr.
Grimm sat waiting. There was curiosity in her
manner, thinly veiled, but the haunting smile
still lingered about her lips. Mr. Grimm bowed
low, and placed a chair for her, after which he
stood for a time staring down at one slim, white
hand at rest on the arm of the seat. At last, he,
too, sat down.</p>
<p>"I believe," he said slowly, without preliminaries,
"this is your handkerchief?"</p>
<p>He offered the lacy trifle, odd in design,
unique in workmanship, obviously of foreign
texture, and she accepted it.</p>
<p>"Yes," she agreed readily, "I must have
dropped it again."</p>
<p>"That is the one handed to you by Señor
Rodriguez," Mr. Grimm told her. "I think you
said you lost it in his office yesterday afternoon?"</p>
<p>"Yes?" She nodded inquiringly.</p>
<p>"It may interest you to know that Señor
Rodriguez's butler positively identifies it as one
he restored to you twice at dinner last evening,
between seven and nine o'clock," Mr. Grimm
went on dispassionately.</p>
<p>"Indeed!" exclaimed Miss Thorne.</p>
<p>"The señor identifies it as one he found this
morning in his office," Mr. Grimm explained
obligingly. "During the night fifty thousand
dollars in gold were stolen from his safe."</p>
<p>There was not the slightest change of expression
in her face; the blue-gray eyes were still
inquiring in their gaze, the white hands still at
rest, the scarlet lips still curled slightly, an
echo of a smile.</p>
<p>"No force was used in opening the safe," Mr.
Grimm resumed. "It was unlocked. It's an old
model and I have demonstrated how it could
have been opened either with the assistance of
a stethoscope, which catches the sound of the
tumbler in the lock, or by a person of acute
hearing."</p>
<p>Miss Thorne sat motionless, waiting.</p>
<p>"All this means—what?" she inquired, at
length.</p>
<p>"I'll trouble you, please, to return the
money," requested Mr. Grimm courteously.
"No reason appears why you should have taken
it. But I'm not seeking reasons, nor am I seeking
disagreeable publicity—only the money."</p>
<p>"It seems to me you attach undue importance
to the handkerchief," she objected.</p>
<p>"That's a matter of opinion," Mr. Grimm remarked.
"It would be useless, even tedious, to
attempt to disprove a burglar theory, but
against it is the difficulty of entrance, the weight
of the gold, the ingenious method of opening
the safe, and the assumption that not more than
six persons knew the money was in the safe;
while a person in the house <i>might</i> have learned
it in any of a dozen ways. And, in addition, is
the fact that the handkerchief is odd, therefore
noticeable. A lace expert assures me there's
probably not another like it in the world."</p>
<p>He stopped. Miss Thorne's eyes sparkled
and a smile seemed to be tugging at the corners
of her mouth. She spread out the handkerchief
on her knees.</p>
<p>"You could identify this again, of course?"
she queried.</p>
<p>"Yes."</p>
<p>She thoughtfully crumpled up the bit of lace
in both hands, then opened them. There were
two handkerchiefs now—they were identical.</p>
<p>"Which is it, please?" she asked.</p>
<p>If Mr. Grimm was disappointed there was not
a trace of it on his face. She laughed outright,
gleefully, mockingly, then, demurely:</p>
<p>"Pardon me! You see, it's absurd. The
handkerchief the butler restored to me at dinner,
after I lost one in the señor's office, might
have been either of these, or one of ten other
duplicates in my room, all given to me by her
Maj—I mean," she corrected quickly, "by a
friend in Europe." She was silent for a moment.
"Is that all?"</p>
<p>"No," replied Mr. Grimm gravely, decisively.
"I'm not satisfied. I shall insist upon
the return of the money, and if it is not forthcoming
I dare say Count di Rosini, the Italian
ambassador, would be pleased to give his personal
check rather than have the matter become
public." She started to interrupt; he went on.
"In any event you will be requested to leave the
country."</p>
<p>Then, and not until then, a decided change
came over Miss Thorne's face. A deeper color
leaped to her cheeks, the smile faded from her
lips, and there was a flash of uneasiness in her
eyes.</p>
<p>"But if I am innocent?" she protested.</p>
<p>"You must prove it," continued Mr. Grimm
mercilessly. "Personally, I am convinced, and
Count di Rosini has practically assured me
that—"</p>
<p>"It's unjust!" she interrupted passionately.
"It's—it's—you have proved nothing. It's unheard
of! It's beyond—!"</p>
<p>Suddenly she became silent. A minute, two
minutes, three minutes passed; Mr. Grimm waited
patiently.</p>
<p>"Will you give me time and opportunity to
prove my innocence?" she demanded finally.
"And if I <i>do</i> convince you—?"</p>
<p>"I should be delighted to believe that I have
made a mistake," Mr. Grimm assured her.
"How much time? One day? Two days?"</p>
<p>"I will let you know within an hour at your
office," she told him.</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm rose.</p>
<p>"And meanwhile, in case of accident, I shall
look to Count di Rosini for adjustment," he
added pointedly. "Good morning."</p>
<p>One hour and ten minutes later he received
this note, unsigned:</p>
<p>"Closed carriage will stop for you at southeast
corner of Pennsylvania Avenue and Fourteenth
Street to-night at one."</p>
<p>He was there; the carriage was on time; and
my lady of mystery was inside. He stepped
in and they swung out into Pennsylvania Avenue,
noiselessly over the asphalt.</p>
<p>"Should the gold be placed in your hands
now, within the hour," she queried solicitously,
"would it be necessary for you to know who was
the—the thief?"</p>
<p>"It would," Mr. Grimm responded without
hesitation.</p>
<p>"Even if it destroyed a reputation?" she
pleaded.</p>
<p>"The Secret Service rarely destroys a reputation,
Miss Thorne, although it holds itself in
readiness to do so. I dare say in this case there
would be no arrest or prosecution, because of—of
reasons which appear to be good."</p>
<p>"There wouldn't?" and there was a note of
eagerness in her voice. "The identity of the
guilty person would never appear?"</p>
<p>"It would become a matter of record in our
office, but beyond that I think not—at least in
this one instance."</p>
<p>Miss Thorne sat silent for a block or more.</p>
<p>"You'll admit, Mr. Grimm, that you have
forced me into a most remarkable position. You
seemed convinced of my guilt, and, if you'll
pardon me, without reason; then you made it
compulsory upon me to establish my innocence.
The only way for me to do that was to find the
guilty one. I have done it, and I'm sorry, because
it's a little tragedy."</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm waited.</p>
<p>"It's a girl high in diplomatic society. Her
father's position is an honorable rather than a
lucrative one; he has no fortune. This girl
moves in a certain set devoted to bridge, and
stakes are high. She played and won, and
played and won, and on and on, until her winnings
were about eight thousand dollars. Then
luck turned. She began to lose. Her money
went, but she continued to play desperately.
Finally some old family jewels were pawned
without her father's knowledge, and ultimately
they were lost. One day she awoke to the fact
that she owed some nine or ten thousand dollars
in bridge debts. They were pressing and there
was no way to meet them. This meant exposure
and utter ruin, and women do strange things,
Mr. Grimm, to postpone such an ending to social
aspirations. I know this much is true, for
she related it all to me herself.</p>
<p>"At last, in some way—a misplaced letter,
perhaps, or a word overheard—-she learned that
fifty thousand dollars would be in the legation
safe overnight, and evidently she learned the
precise night." She paused a moment. "Here
is the address of a man in Baltimore, Thomas Q.
Griswold," and she passed a card to Mr. Grimm,
who sat motionless, listening. "About four
years ago the combination on the legation safe
was changed. This man was sent here to make
the change, therefore some one besides Señor
Rodriguez <i>does</i> know the combination. I have
communicated with this man to-day, for I saw
the possibility of just such a thing as this instead
of your stethoscope. By a trick and a
forged letter this girl obtained the combination
from this man."</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm drew a long breath.</p>
<p>"She intended to take, perhaps, only what she
desperately needed—but at sight of it all—do
you see what must have been the temptation
then? We get out here."</p>
<p>There were many unanswered questions in
Mr. Grimm's mind. He repressed them for the
time, stepped out and assisted Miss Thorne
to alight. The carriage had turned out of
Pennsylvania Avenue, and at the moment he
didn't quite place himself. A narrow passageway
opened before them—evidently the rear entrance
to a house possibly in the next street.
Miss Thorne led the way unhesitatingly, cautiously
unlocked the door, and together they entered
a hall. Then there was a short flight of
stairs, and they stepped into a room, one of a
suite. She closed the door and turned on the
lights.</p>
<p>"The bags of gold are in the next room," she
said with the utmost composure.</p>
<p>Mr. Grimm dragged them out of a dark
closet, opened one—there were ten—and allowed
the coins to dribble through his fingers. Finally
he turned and stared at Miss Thorne, who, pallid
and weary, stood looking on.</p>
<p>"Where are we?" he asked. "What house is
this?"</p>
<p>"The Venezuelan legation," she answered.
"We are standing less than forty feet from the
safe that was robbed. You see how easy—!"</p>
<p>"And whose room?" inquired Mr. Grimm
slowly.</p>
<p>"Must I answer?" she asked appealingly.</p>
<p>"You must!"</p>
<p>"Señorita Rodriguez—my hostess! Don't
you see what you've made me do? She and Mr.
Cadwallader made the trip to Baltimore in his
automobile, and—and—!" She stopped. "He
knows nothing of it," she added.</p>
<p>"Yes, I know," said Mr. Grimm.</p>
<p>He stood looking at her in silence for a moment,
staring deeply into the pleading eyes;
and a certain tense expression about his lips
passed. For an instant her hand trembled on
his arm, and he caught the fragrance of her
hair.</p>
<p>"Where is she now?" he asked.</p>
<p>"Playing bridge," replied Miss Thorne, with
a sad little smile. "It is always so—at least
twice a week, and she rarely returns before two
or half-past." She extended both hands impetuously,
entreatingly. "Please be generous,
Mr. Grimm. You have the gold; don't destroy
her."</p>
<p>Señor Rodriguez, the minister from Venezuela,
found the gold in his safe on the following
morning, with a brief note from Mr. Grimm, in
which there was no explanation of how or where
it had been found.... And two hours later
Monsieur Boisségur, ambassador from France
to the United States, disappeared from the embassy,
vanished!</p>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<SPAN name="CH12"><!-- CHAPTER 12 --></SPAN>
<h3> XII </h3>
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