"No, no, Carnegie," replied the Chief, rousing himself, "you are right, no doubt. You must be right." Carnegie snapped a rubber band about the newly-arranged packet, and tossed it down beside the two letters. "Then," he said, taking up his hat, "I suppose you have no further use for me?" "Not at present, Carnegie." The Expert turned sharply, and without further ceremony whisked out of the room. For some moments the Chief sat wrinkling his brow and gazing upon the two letters outspread before him. Then he took up the elegantly-written epistle, folded it carefully, and thrust it in among those in the rubber-bound packet. This done he rang his bell, and called for Sanford. The latter came promptly, and stood mutely before his Chief. "Sanford," said that gentleman, pointing to the packet upon the table, "you may try your hand as an Expert." "How, sir?" "Take those letters, and this," pushing forward the outspread scrawl, "and see if you can figure out who wrote it." Sanford took up the packet, looked earnestly at his superior, and hesitated. "Carnegie has given his opinion," said the Chief, in answer to this look. "I want to see how you agree." Sanford took up the scrawl, scanned it slowly, folded it and slipped it underneath the rubber of the packet. "Is that all, sir?" he asked quietly. "That is all. Take your time, Sanford; take your time." Sanford bowed and went slowly from the room. A few moments longer the Chief sat thinking, a look of annoyance upon his face. Then he slowly arose, unlocked a drawer, and taking from it a small, thick diary, reseated himself. "I must review this business," he muttered. "There's something about it that I don't--quite--understand." He turned the leaves of the diary quickly, running the pages backward, until he reached those containing an account of the events of one or two days five weeks old upon the calendar. Here he singled out the notes concerning the Raid and its results, following which were the outlines of the accounts of that night as given him by Vernet and Stanhope. Now, in giving his account of that night, Van Vernet had said little of his experience with Alan Warburton, and at the masquerade. And in giving his account of the Raid and its failure, he had omitted the fact that he had accepted and used "Silly Charlie" as a guide, speaking of him only as a spy and rescuer. Hence the Chief had gained anything but a correct idea of the part actually played by this bogus idiot.