“I was about to suggest that,” Cora answered. “We will ring him up now. He said he would be back in town to-night, didn’t he? And it isn’t midnight yet.” But the telephone remained silent. Consequently they went alone next morning to the office of the Metropolitan Secret Agency. The room into which they were shown was the office where Alix Stothert and Madame Camille Lenoir had been working late on the night Lord Froissart had so unexpectedly made his appearance; only now in the rooms adjoining many clerks were at work, and typing machines clattered. Only Stothert was in the room, and he looked up as they entered. Then, as he rose, he removed the eyeshade from his forehead. “Good morning,” he said solemnly. “Won’t you sit down?” and he waved his hand in the direction of two chairs. “I asked you to call,” he went on at once, coming straight to the point, “because I wish to put one or two questions to Miss Hagerston verbally. Will you tell me, please,” he turned to Yootha, “how long you have been engaged to be married to Captain Preston?” The girl started. “Who told you we were engaged?” she exclaimed, coloring. “Our engagement has not yet been announced in the papers.” “I am aware of that, but it is our business to know things before they are made public. How long, Miss Hagerston?” “Ten days. But has this any bearing on the theft of the pearl necklace?” “Indirectly--yes. And you made his acquaintance at lunch at the Ritz on August the ninth of last year, I think?” “Yes.” “Since then you have met him frequently, I take it?” “No, only of late.” “And for some time you have been friendly with a young man named Harry Hopwood, a newspaper correspondent?” “I wouldn’t say ‘friendly.’ I have met him from time to time.” “Now, there is a well-known Society woman with whom you and Mrs. Hartsilver are both acquainted--Mrs. Mervyn-Robertson. A little while ago you may remember, you and Mrs. Hartsilver came here to ask us to make private inquiries about Mrs. Mervyn-Robertson’s past life. Since then Mr. Hopford has called here on a similar mission, and Captain Preston and a Mr. George Blenkiron have done the same. We have found out certain things about the lady which we have reported to you all separately; other things we have found out which for private reasons we deem it inadvisable to tell you, at any rate for the moment. We should like to warn you, however, that the lady referred to has many influential friends, and we would venture to advise you to attempt as little as possible to pry into her private life. She is a dangerous woman, a very dangerous woman, though this, naturally I tell you in strictest confidence.” “Thank you,” Yootha answered. “And now can you throw any light at all upon the mystery of the stolen pearls?” “I am coming to that. You no doubt heard some time ago of a robbery of jewelry and bank notes from a safe in Mrs. Mervyn-Robertson’s own house in Cavendish Square, though nothing about it appeared in the papers?”