“It may save time to tell you that every person known to have been in correspondence with Dr. Weathered has been warned to take no notice of that advertisement.” It was evidently news to her that the names of the correspondents were known to the police, and she looked less confident already. “Mr. Stillman has been informed that Dr. Weathered’s executrix is the sole person entitled to deal with the letters, and he has now consented to allow a detective officer to sit in his outer office and refer any persons who may answer the advertisement to me. The same officer is opening all letters addressed to the firm.” By this time Madame Bonnell must have made up her mind that she had little chance of making anything out of the letters and that it was better for her to sacrifice them if she could do so without damage to herself. “What has all this to do with me?” she asked cautiously. “Mrs. Weathered informs me that she placed the letters in your possession and I am here to ask you for them.” Madame Bonnell did some hard thinking and did it quickly, too. “Mrs. Weathered is a madwoman. She is not responsible for her actions, and her word is not to be believed. I am surprised that you should expect me to take such a story seriously. If you believe I have the letters, look for them.” It was a gallant last stand. She must have known that every inch of the premises had been searched already. Tarleton smiled at her. He was beginning to warm to his work. “If I am to take advantage of that permission, Madame, I shall have to ask you to accompany me to Newgate Street, where there is a female searcher. You probably carry the letters about with you.” A sudden spark, a very ugly and dangerous spark, was kindled in the woman’s eyes at the mention of a female searcher. It went out again instantly. Madame folded her arms. “If you believe what you say, it makes no difference. You say that Mrs. Weathered gave me those letters. Why isn’t she here to ask for them back? I have a right to keep them till she does.” This was true, unfortunately. But Madame had just been betrayed into revealing her weak point, about which the representative of the Home Office had been pretty confident before. He now turned to Inspector Charles. “I am afraid I must leave the matter to you, Inspector.” Captain Charles was quite ready. “I must ask you to consider yourself my prisoner, Madame. The charge is one of conspiring with Arthur Stillman to obtain money from various persons by threats. Whatever you may say will be taken down and may be used in evidence against you.” She didn’t wait for the production of the official note-book. Her hands were at the bosom of her dress. “That charge is false and you know it. It is you who are using threats to obtain these letters, to which you have no claim. You are breaking the law, not I.” She was right, that was the amazing part of it, entirely right. But she handed over the letters. And she contrived to look rather anxious.