"Good heavens!" cried Mr. Llewellyn John, starting upright in his chair. "How on earth did you know?"
"It seems fairly obvious," said Malcolm Sage, as he returned to his chair and resumed his stroking of the sphinx's back. "Who else knew of the existence of the document?" he enquired.
"No one outside the Admiralty and the War——" Sir Lyster stopped suddenly.
From the corridor, apparently just outside the library door, came the sound of a suppressed scream, followed by a bump against the woodwork.
Rising and moving swiftly across the room, Sir Lyster threw open the door, revealing a gap of darkness into which a moment later slid two figures, a pretty, fair-haired girl and a wizened little Japanese with large round spectacles and an automatic smile.
"I'm so sorry, Sir Lysier," faltered the girl, as she stepped timidly into the room, "but I was frightened. Someone had switched off the lights and I ran into——" She turned to the Japanese, who stood deprecating and nervous on the threshold.
"I lose my passage," he said, baring his teeth still further; "I go to find cigarette-case of my master. He leave it in beelyard-room. I go——"
With a motion of his hand, Sir Lyster dismissed the man, who slipped away as if relieved at getting off so lightly.
"You are up late, Miss Blair," he said coolly, turning to the girl.
"I'm so sorry," she said; "but Lady Grayne gave me some letters, and there was so much copying for you that——" She paused, then added nervously, "I didn't know it was so late."