sorted to for the concealment of the
facts. But he understood that, in his familiarity with Warden's
affairs, he had probably been in a position to get the information, if
he had known what specific matters it concerned. That, then, had been
the reason why his own death would have served for the time being in
place of Eaton's.

Those who had followed Eaton had known that Santoine could get this
information; that accounted for all that had taken place on the train.
It accounted for the subsequent attack on Eaton when it became known
that Santoine was getting well. It accounted also--Santoine was
breathing quickly as he recognized this--for the invasion of his study
and the forcing of the safe last night.

The inference was plain that something which would have given Santoine
the information Warden had had and which Eaton now required had been
brought into Santoine's house and put in Santoine's safe. It was to
get possession of this "something" before it had reached Santoine that
the safe had been forced.

Santoine put out his hand and pressed a bell. A servant came to the
door.

"Will you find Miss Santoine," the blind man directed, "and ask her to
come here?"

The servant withdrew.

Santoine waited. Presently the door again opened, and he heard his
daughter's step.

"Have you listed what was taken from the safe, Harriet?" Santoine asked.

"Not yet, Father."

The blind man thought an instant. "Day before yesterday, when I asked
you to take charge for the present of the correspondence Avery has
looked after for me, what did you do?"

"I put it in my own safe--the one that was broken into last night. But
none of it was taken; the bundles of letters were pulled out of the
safe, but they had not been opened or even disturbed."

"I know. It was not that I meant." Santoine thought again. "Harriet,
something has been brought into the house--or the manner of keeping
something in the house had been changed--within a very few days--since
the time, I think, when the attempt to run Eaton down with the
motor-car was made. What was that 'something'?"

His daughter reflected. "The draft of the new agreement about the
Latron properties and the lists of stockholders in the properties which
came through Mr. Warden's office," she replied.

"Those were in the safe?"

"Yes; you had not given me any instructions about them, so I had put
them in the other safe; but when I went to get the correspondence I saw
th