ast night. I opened it this morning. I ask
you, in the name of common sense, upon whom the blame is likely to fall?
If I remain this will happen again. I cannot escape suspicion. It is
not reasonable."

"The word was a common one," the Duke said half to himself. "Some one
may have guessed it."

"Your Grace," I said, "is it likely that any one would admit the
possibility of such a thing?"

"It may have been overheard."

"It has never been spoken," I reminded him. "It was written down,
glanced at by all of us, and destroyed."

The Duke nodded.

"You are right," he admitted. "The inference is positive enough. The
safe has been opened between the hours of ten at night and seven o'clock
this morning by--"

"By either myself, Colonel Ray, or your Grace," I said.

"I am not sure that I am prepared to admit that," the Duke objected
quietly.

"It is inevitable!" I declared.

"Only the very young use that word," the Duke said drily.

"I spoke only of what others must say," I answered.

"It is a _cul de sac_, I admit," the Duke said. "Nevertheless, Mr.
Ducaine, I am not prepared without consideration to accept your
resignation. I cannot see that our position would be improved in any
way, and in my own mind I may add that I hold you absolved from
suspicion."

I held myself a little more upright. The Duke spoke without enthusiasm,
but with conviction.

"Your Grace is very kind," I answered gratefully, "but there are the
others. They know nothing of me. It is inevitable that I should become
an object of suspicion to them."

The Duke looked thoughtfully for several moments at the table before
him. Then he looked up at me.

"Ducaine," he said, "I will tell you what I propose. You have done your
duty in reporting this thing to me. Your duty ends there--mine begins.
The responsibility, therefore, for our future course of action remains
with me. You, I presume, are prepared to admit this."

"Certainly, your Grace," I answered.

"I see no useful purpose to be gained," the Duke continued, "in
spreading this thing about. I believe that we shall do better by
keeping our own counsel. You and I can work secretly in the matter. I
may have some suggestions to make when I have considered it more fully;
but for the present I propose that we treat the matter as a
hallucination of yours. We shall hear in due course if this stolen
information goes across the water. If it does--well, we shall know how
to act."

"You mean thi