‘“And yet an utter stranger to the place could hardly have committed such a theft?” I suggested.
‘“That seems a feasible theory.”
‘“You’ve no reason to suppose, Prince,” I asked, “that the despatch-box was opened on the bare chance of its containing something of value?”
‘“No. My deliberate opinion is the thief wanted that draft, and that alone. He is an enemy—a traitor; and if he can be identified the penalty of his crime will be death.”
‘“If your opinion is right, the thief, of course, must have known the draft of the treaty was there?”
‘“Quite so.”
‘“Who was likely to have known it, do you think?”
‘Another long pause ensued before the Prince answered. Then he said:
‘“Legitimately, very few indeed. It is one of the State secrets. There are many people who come and go here, and an alert traitor might learn much. I see no sign to guide me. Clearly enough, the thief must have been in possession of certain information supposed to be known to this bureau alone, and he has availed himself of the knowledge to purloin a document of extraordinary political importance. Heaven and earth will have to be moved to stop the thief leaving the country; but, what is of more consequence, he must be prevented sending the document away, or any abstract of it.”
‘“That is easily said,” I remarked, with a smile, for he seemed to me to be underrating the difficulties of the case.