Sir Clinton suppressed a smile successfully.
“Or what you think you know, perhaps, Inspector?”
“Well, if you like to put it that way, sir. But some things I think one can be sure of.”
Sir Clinton’s face showed nothing of his views on this question.
“Let’s begin at the beginning,” he suggested. “ ‘What was the crime?’ ”
“That’s clear enough,” the Inspector affirmed without hesitation. “These three electrotypes have been stolen. That’s the crime.”
Sir Clinton seemed to be engrossed in the dragging which was going on methodically below them.
“You think so?” he said at length. “H’m! I’m not so sure.”
Inspector Armadale corrected himself.
“I meant that I’d charge the man with stealing the replicas. You couldn’t charge him with anything else, since nothing else is missing. At least, that’s what you told me. He wanted the real medallions, but he didn’t pull that off.”