Meredith's
room as well as he could. In filling up some of the gaps he might have
been preposterously wrong.

"Where did you get that?" demanded Grell. "Eileen told me she had burnt
it."

His words were an admission that the note was practically correct. Foyle
placed it carefully back in his pocket, while Grell stared at the opal
shade of the electric light.

"She did burn it," he answered. "I chanced to be able to retrieve the
message. I feel certain that, however dire your necessity, you would not
have written to her in that strain unless you had some strong reason.
Who did you mean when you said 'both in imminent danger'?"

"Ivan and myself, of course."

"Ivan was under arrest at that time. Nothing could avert the danger from
him. And you say that you feared exposure if you were arrested. That, of
course, meant that you would be unable to keep shielding the person you
are shielding?"

A dangerous fury blazed in Grell's eyes--the fury of some splendid
animal trapped and tormented yet unable to escape from its tormentors.
He glared savagely at the superintendent.

"I am shielding no one," he declared.

"You can, of course, make any answer you like. Suppose we go on to
another point which perhaps you will have no objection to clearing up
now. We have Harry Goldenburg's record. We know he had been blackmailing
you, and we know that he was your brother. No; sit still. He was your
brother, was he not?"

"My half-brother. How did you know that? How did you know he was
blackmailing me?" Grell spoke tensely.

"Oh, simply enough. The likeness was one thing, and a hint I got from
Ivan that he was a relative confirmed me in an opinion I had already
formed by another fact--which I observed when I saw you at
Dalehurst--that you had a similar walk. You will remember, I asked you
if he was a relative, but you would not answer. The supposition that you
were being blackmailed was borne out by inquiries made for us by
Pinkerton's, which proved that Goldenburg had visited you several times
and that he was always in funds after he left you, however low he might
be before. I think it is a fair inference."

"Quite fair." Grell's face was a little drawn, but he spoke quietly.
"You are quite correct, Mr. Foyle. As you know so much, there can be
little harm in enlightening you on that part of the story. I take it
that you treat it as confidential."

"Unless it becomes necessary to use it for official purposes, as
evidence or