"At the first table on the left, in the inner room beyond the bar. I sat in the corner, with my back to a high partition. Therefore, the envelope could not possibly have been extracted from my pocket without my knowledge." "Then I should like to hear your theory of the affair," said the Prime Minister, his dark, penetrating eyes fixed upon me. "It is so remarkable," I answered, "that I am utterly unable to form any idea how the theft was accomplished." "You believe, however, that Ogle was a spy?" "At present, yes," I said. "And further, I have grave suspicions that he was murdered." "Ah, that was alleged at the inquest," his Lordship observed. "At present the police are sparing no effort to determine the cause of his death, and to find out who manufactured the duplicate of Lord Warnham's seal." "The seal I picked up from among the contents of Ogle's pockets was not the identical one used to secure the dummy envelope," I said quickly. "I am fully aware of all the facts," he answered rather coldly. "My desire is to find out something fresh. Even the police seem utterly baffled. Who is this young woman, Ella Laing, who at the inquest alleged murder?" "The daughter of Mrs Laing, of Pont Street." "Do you know her intimately?" "She is engaged to be married to me," I replied. "It is apparent that she was very friendly with this Ogle. Surely you can induce her to tell you something about him." "She knows but little more than what I already know. He lived with me at Shepperton, and had few secrets from me." "Did you ever suspect him to be a spy?" "Not for one moment. He had plenty of money of his own, and was in no sense an adventurer." "Well," exclaimed the Premier, turning to his colleague at last. "It is extraordinary--most extraordinary." Lord Warnham nodded acquiescence, and said, "Yes, there is a deep and extraordinary mystery somewhere: a mystery we must, for the sake of our own honour, penetrate and elucidate." "I entirely agree," answered the other. "We have been victimised by clever spies." "And all owing to Deedes's culpable negligence," added Lord Warnham, testily, glancing at me. "No, I am inclined to differ," exclaimed the Premier. He had never acted very generously towards me, and I was surprised that he should at this moment take up the cudgels on my behalf. "To me it appears, as far as the facts go, that Deedes has been victimised in the same manner as ourselves." "But if he had exercised due caution this terrible catastrophe could never have occurred," the Foreign Minister cried impatiently, tapping the table with his pen in emphasis of his words. "A little more than mere caution, or even shrewdness, is required to defeat the efforts of the Tzar's spies," the Premier said quietly. "In my opinion, Deedes, although in a measure under suspicion, cannot be actually condemned. Remember, among Ogle's correspondence he discovered evidence of an undoubted attempt to forge his handwriting."