e, I should call in the police."

"Mr Capel," cried the old lawyer excitedly, "I swear to you, sir, that
the money and jewels were there a fortnight ago. I came down here with
Ramo, and there lay the two cases with their contents."

"Well?" said Capel, "what then?"

"We carefully closed up the place."

"Then somebody must have been down since, and taken the treasure away."

"Only two men could have done this, sir, Ramo and myself."

"That throws it on to you," said Artis.

"And my reputation, sir, will bear me out when I proclaim my innocence."

"I don't know," said Artis. "Sudden temptation; kleptomania and that
sort of thing."

The old lawyer turned his back.

"Mr Gerard Artis, this is no time for such remarks as these," said
Capel. "Mr Girtle, what have you to say?"

"At present, nothing, sir. I am astounded. You know we came down on
that dreadful morning, and found the chamber intact; besides it could
not have been forced."

"There were the keys," said Artis.

"But they have never left my person. There were but the two sets of
keys--the Colonel's and mine. Those were the Colonel's set that we
found upon Ramo."

"Rather strange that the Colonel should have given you a set," said
Artis.

"No more strange than that a gentleman should trust a banker," said
Capel.

"What, going to side with the lawyer?"

Capel made no reply, only gazed searchingly at the old executor.

"There may have been other keys, Mr Girtle."

"Oh, no. The place was made some years ago, for a sarcophagus, and the
makers never imagined that it would be used for a safe."

There was a dead silence.

"Let us search again. The cases may have slipped aside."

"It is impossible," said the old lawyer; and as they two passed into the
iron chamber, Artis exchanged a glance with Katrine, while the old
butler stood looking dazed.

"You see," said Mr Girtle, holding down the light, "there is nowhere
for the cases to have slipped; all is of plain, solid steel, without a
corner or crack."

"But underneath," said Capel.

"Underneath? Look for yourself," said Mr Girtle; "where there is not
solid steel there is solid iron, and beneath that, massive stone. The
treasure seems to have been spirited away."

"That's it," said Artis. "The old man was not satisfied, and he got up
out of his coffin and hid it somewhere else."

Capel caught Artis by the collar.

"I will not--" he began; but mastering his indignant anger he let f