De Lamborne was conscious of a faint sense of uneasiness. His companion walked across the room and carefully weighed the packet.
“Well?” De Lamborne cried. “Why do you do that? What is wrong?”
The Baron turned and faced him.
“My friend,” he said, “this is not the same packet.” The ambassador stared at him incredulously.
“You are jesting!” he exclaimed. “Miracles do not happen. The thing is impossible.”
“It is the impossible, then, which has happened,” De Grost replied, swiftly. “This packet can scarcely have gained two ounces in the night. Besides, the seal is fuller. I have an eye for these details.”
De Lamborne leaned against the back of the table. His eyes were a little wild, but he laughed hoarsely.
“We fight, then, against the creatures of another world,” he declared. “No human being could have opened that safe last night.”
The Baron hesitated.
“Monsieur de Lamborne,” he said, “the room adjoining is your wife’s.”