. 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."

"But she has access to its contents when it is open," the visitor
remarked. "Acting as your secretary, she is, of course, aware of a good
deal of your business."

"No; you are mistaken. Have we not arranged a code in order to prevent
her from satisfying her woman's natural inquisitiveness?"

"That's admitted. But the document in question, though somewhat guarded,
is sufficiently plain to any one acquainted with the nature of our
negotiations."

The blind man crossed to the safe, and with the key upon his chain
opened it, and, after fumbling in one of the long iron drawers revealed
within, took out a big oblong envelope, orange-coloured, and secured
with five black seals, now, however, broken.

This he handed to his friend, saying, "Read it again