"How do you know that?"
"Because in Athens they have a complete copy of one of the documents
which you showed me on the last occasion I was here, and which we have
never had in our possession."
The blind man was silent. The allegation admitted of no argument.
"My daughter Gabrielle is the only person who has seen it, and she
understands nothing of our affairs, as you know quite well."
"She may have copied it."
"My daughter would never betray me, Goslin," said Sir Henry in a hard,
distinct voice, rising from the table and slowly walking down the long,
book-lined room.
"Has no one else been able to open your safe and examine its contents?"
asked the Frenchman, glancing over to the small steel door let into the
wall close to where he was sitting.
"No one. Though I'm blind, do you consider me a fool? Surely I recognise
only too well how essential is secrecy. Have I not always taken the most
extraordinary precautions?"
"You have, Sir Henry. I quite admit that. Indeed, the precautions you've
taken would, if known to the world, be regarded--well, as simply
amazing."
"I hope the world will never know the truth."
"It will know the truth. They have the copies in Athens. If there is a
traitor--as we have now proved the existence of one--then we can never
in future rest secure. At any moment another exposure may result, with
its attendant disaster."
The Baronet halted before one of the long windows, the morning sunshine
falling full upon his sad, grey face. He drew a long sigh and said,
"Goslin, do not let us discuss the future. Tell me exactly what is the
present situation."
"The present situation," the Frenchman said in a dry, matter-of-fact
voice, "is one full of peril for us. You have, over there in your safe,
a certain paper--a confidential report which you received direct from
Vienna. It was brought to you by special messenger because its nature
was not such as should be sent through the post. A trusted official of
the Austrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs brought it here. To whom did he
deliver it?"
"To Gabrielle. She signed a receipt."
"And she broke the seals?"
"No. I was present, and she handed it to me. I broke the seals myself.
She read it over to me."
"Ah!" ejaculated the Frenchman suspiciously. "It is unfortunate that you
are compelled to entrust our secrets to a woman."
"My daughter is my best friend; indeed, perhaps my only friend."
"Then you have enemies?"
"Who has not?"
"True. We all of us have enemies," replied the mysterious visitor. "But
in this case, how do you account for that report falling into the hands
of the people in Athens? Who keeps the key of the safe?"
"I do. It is never out of my possession."
"At night what do you do with it?"
"I hide it in a secret place in my room, and I sleep with the door
locked."
"Then, as far as you are aware, nobody has ever had possession of your
key--not even mademoiselle your daughter?"
"Not even Gabrielle. I always lock and unlock the safe myself."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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