Von Stromberg waved his hand impatiently.
“And what happened then?”
“Hammersley and Miss Mather went out. I remained in the smoking-room and then telephoned to Maxwell to send his men at once. They came. I met them outside the house before Hammersley emerged and gave them my instructions to follow Hammersley’s machine and get the papers.”
The older man started forward, his long acquisitive nose eagerly scenting a clue.
“And how long was it after they left the smoking-room for the machine?”
Rizzio pulled at his mustache a moment thoughtfully.
“I could not say exactly,” he said after a time. “A matter of half an hour perhaps.”
“Did you know what Herr Hammersley was doing in the meanwhile?”
“No. I could not say. I telephoned first and then went out. The guests were all in the drawing-room.”