“Where is the letter?” Harleston asked.

“Locked in the burglar-proof safe in my office.”

“Who knows the combination?”

“Spendel, my confidential clerk.”

“Trustworthy?”

“I would as soon suspect myself.”

“Very good! Now, another thing: do you know Fred Snodgrass, an ex-Captain of the Army, who lives at the Boulogne?”

“Casually,” said Carpenter.

“Ever suspect him of being in the German pay?”

“No. However, he is an intimate friend of Von Swinkle, the Second Secretary—if that’s any indication.”