in this room to-day?" Mr. Grimm
inquired.

"Not a soul, Senor," was the reply.

Mr. Grimm went over and examined the windows. They were both locked
inside; and there were no marks of any sort on the sills.

"They are just as I left them last night," explained Senor Rodriguez. "I
have not touched them to-day."

"And there's only one door," mused Mr. Grimm, meaning that by which they
had entered. "So it would appear that whoever was here last night
entered through that room. Very well."

He walked around the room once, opening and shutting the doors of the
cabinets as he passed, and finally paused in front of the safe. A brief
examination of the nickeled dial and handle and of the enameled edges of
the heavy door satisfied him that no force had been employed--the safe
had merely been unlocked. Whereupon he sat himself down, cross-legged on
the floor, in front of it.

"What are the first and second figures of the combination?" he asked.

"Thirty-six, then back to ten."

Mr. Grimm set the dial at thirty-six, and then, with his ear pressed
closely against the polished door, turned the dial slowly back. Senor
Rodriguez stood looking on helplessly, but none the less intently. The
pointer read ten, then nine, eight, seven, five. Mr. Grimm gazed at it
thoughtfully, after which he did it all over again, placidly and without
haste.

"Now, we'll look inside, please," he requested, rising.

Senor Rodriguez unlocked the safe the while Mr. Grimm respectfully
turned his eyes away, then pulled the door wide open. The books had been
piled one on top of another and thrust into various pigeonholes at the
top. Mr. Grimm understood that this disorder was the result of making
room at the bottom for the bulk of gold, and asked no questions.
Instead, he sat down upon the floor again.

"The lock on this private compartment at the top is broken," he remarked
after a moment.

"_Si, Senor_," the diplomatist agreed. "Evidently the robbers were not
content with only fifty thousand dollars in gold--they imagined that
something else of value was hidden there."

"Was there?" asked Mr. Grimm naively. He didn't look around.

"Nothing of monetary value," the senor explained. "There were some
important state papers in there--they are there yet--but no money."

"None of the papers was stolen?"

"No, Senor. There were only nine packets--they are there yet."

"Contents all right?"

"Yes. I personally looked them over."

Mr. Grimm drew