had grown quite happy and gay
together, I made Raoul tell me which was the most important of
all--where the really sacred and valuable things were kept. He laughed
and pointed out the most interesting one--the one, he said, which held
all the deepest secrets of French foreign diplomacy. I was sure then
that the thing I had to get for the British Foreign Secretary must be
there, though it was such a new thing that it couldn't have been
anywhere for long. 'There are three keys to that safe,' said Raoul. 'One
is kept by the President; one is always with the Foreign Secretary; this
is the third'; and he showed me a strange little key different to any I
had seen before. 'Oh, do let me have a peep at these wonderful papers,'
I pleaded with him. Before coming I had planned what to do. Round my
throat I wore a string of imitation pearls, which I'd put on for a
special purpose. But they were pretty, and so well made that only an
expert would know they weren't real. Raoul isn't an expert; so at the
moment he fitted the key into the lock of the safe to open the door, I
gave a sly little pull, and broke the thread, making the pearls roll
everywhere about the floor. He was quite distressed, forgot all about
the key in the lock, and flew to pick up the pearls as if each one were
worth at least a thousand francs.

"While he was busy finding the lost beads, I whipped out the key, took
an impression of it on a piece of wax I had ready, concealed in my
handkerchief, and slipped it back into the lock while he was still on
his hands and knees on the floor. Then he opened the safe-door for a
moment, just to give me the peep I had begged for, but not long enough
for me to touch anything even if I'd dared to try with him standing
there. Enough, though, to show me that the documents were neatly
arranged in labelled pigeon-holes, and to see their general character,
colour, and shape. That same day a key to fit the lock was being made;
and when it was ready, I made an excuse to call again on Raoul at the
office. Not that a very elaborate excuse was needed. The poor fellow,
trusting me as he trusts himself, or more, was only too glad to have me
come to him, even in that sacred place. Now, the thing was to get him
away. But I'd made up my mind what to do. In another office, upstairs,
was a friend of Raoul's--the one who introduced us to each other, and
I'd made up a message for him, which I begged Raoul to take, and bring
his friend to speak to m