“Your Excellency was pointing out the safe when we were interrupted,” Hubert remarked, noticing that there were three safes in the room. Two were large, heavy ones of a well-known English make, painted dark green, against the left-hand wall, while the other was a smaller one embedded in the wall behind the Minister’s chair.
“It is this,” replied the General rising and approaching the safe in the wall. “From this the documents mysteriously disappeared.”
Hubert also rose from his chair, and going behind the writing-table, stood beside the Minister of War examining the steel door carefully.
“Has Ghelardi been here?” he inquired of His Excellency.
“He was here last night.”
“What did he do?”
“He made a complete examination of it and took photographs of some finger-prints upon the knob and door,” responded General Cataldi, placing his own key in the lock and turning the handle twice, opened the heavy, steel door, disclosing a number of pigeon-holes, wherein reposed quantities of papers.
Waldron carefully inspected the door, and saw that it was by the same excellent maker as the other two.
“There is no question of the papers having been put in one or other of the racks,” the General said. “Confidential papers are always placed in this drawer,” and he opened a small, steel drawer in the bottom of the safe. It was empty.
“Have all these papers been examined?”