“Good,” said the count. “Leave us again.” The man retreated and again the count turned to the two lads: “Are you satisfied now?” he asked.
“Perfectly, your Excellency,” declared Frank.
He took off his coat, and ripped open the lining. Then he produced a paper, which he passed to the count. Jack did likewise.
“They are in duplicate,” said Jack. “In case one of us failed to get through, the other, it was felt, would reach you safely.”
Quickly Count Blowinski scanned the papers and then tore them into little pieces and dropped the bits into his pocket.
“Now,” he said sternly, “if you will tell me why you told me you carried a verbal message?”
His words were a question and Frank replied quietly.
“So that, in the event you were not really Count Blowinski, you would not know that we carried papers,” he said.
“Good! Good!” cried the Russian. “You are shrewd. I shall be able to make use of you. I suppose you know that the contents of these papers put both of you at my disposal?”
“No, your Excellency, we had not been so informed.”