"Someone has betrayed us," Mrs. Atterbury re-iterated. "Only one who possessed the most intimate knowledge of our plans and the deals we are working on now could have chosen so well among all the papers in the safe. With one trifling exception everything missing was negotiable."
Wolvert darted a keen glance at her.
"'One exception'?" he repeated. "What was that?"
"The packet containing the Westcote documents," replied Mrs. Atterbury. "That has vanished with the rest."
"Impossible!" Wolvert started visibly. "He didn't take that!"
"What does it matter?" Dr. Bayard shrugged. "It was worthless!"
"But he didn't take it, I know!" insisted Wolvert, caution forgotten in his surprise. "It must be there! There's some mistake—"
"Why are you so sure?" Mrs. Atterbury flashed at him. "How can you know that it was not stolen?"
"Because I was certain it was there when we first went through the safe after I recovered consciousness, don't you remember?" he stammered, taken aback. "I distinctly saw a blue envelope——"
"There was no blue envelope in the safe." Mrs. Atterbury spoke with absolute finality. "It had disappeared."