he superintendent at Paddington. The two great
men rose. The Prime Minister held out his hand to Bellamy.

"Bellamy," he declared, "you've done us one more important service.
There may be work for you within the next few weeks, but you've
earned a rest for a day or two, at any rate. There is nothing more
we can do?"

"Nothing except a letter to the Home Secretary, Sir James," Bellamy
answered. "Remember, sir, that although I have worked hard, the
man to whom we really owe those papers is Stephen Laverick."

The Prime Minister frowned thoughtfully.

"It's a difficult situation, Bellamy," he said. "You are asking a
great deal when you suggest that we should interfere in the
slightest manner with the course of justice. You are absolutely
convinced, I suppose, that this man Laverick had nothing to do
with the murder?"

"Absolutely and entirely, sir," Bellamy replied.

"The murdered man has never been identified by the police," Sir
James remarked. "Who was he?"

"His name was Rudolph Von Behrling," Bellamy announced, "and he was
actually the Chancellor's nephew, also his private secretary. I
have told you the history, sir, of those papers. It was Von
Behrling who, without a doubt, murdered the American journalist
and secured them. It was he who insisted upon coming to London
instead of returning with them to Vienna, which would have been the
most obvious course for him to have adopted. He was a pauper, and
desperately in love with a certain lady who has helped me throughout
this matter. He agreed to part with the papers for twenty thousand
pounds, and the lady incidentally promised to elope with him the
same night. I met him by appointment at that little restaurant in
the city, paid him the twenty thousand pounds, and received the
false packet which you remember I brought to you, sir. As a matter
of fact, Von Behrling, either by accident or design, and no man now
will ever know which, left me with those papers which I was supposed
to have bought in his possession, and also the money. Within five
minutes he was murdered. Doubtless we shall know sometime by whom,
but it was not by Stephen Laverick. Laverick's share in the whole
thing was nothing but this--that he found the pocket-book, and that
he made use of the notes in his business for twenty-four hours to
save himself from ruin. That was unjustifiable, of course. He has
made atonement. The notes at this minute are in a safe deposit
vault and w