ing--the smuggling of such articles as, say, the Cadogan
collar."

In the silence that followed this astounding declaration, the little man
hunched up his shoulders until they seemed more round than ever, and
again subjected the faces of those surrounding him to the stare of his
impertinent, pale eyes. Staff, more detached in attitude than any of the
others present, for his own amusement followed the range of Iff's gaze.

Captain Cobb was scowling thoughtfully. Manvers wore a look of deepest
chagrin. Jane's jaw had fallen and her eyes seemed perilously
protrudant. Alison was leaning gracefully back in her chair--her pose
studied but charmingly effective--while she favoured Iff with a scrutiny
openly incredulous and disdainful.

"You say you have proofs of this--ah--assertion of yours?" demanded the
captain at length.

"Oh, yes--surely yes." Iff's tone was almost apologetic. He thrust a
hand between his shirt and waistcoat, fumbled a moment as if unbuttoning
a pocket, and brought forth a worn leather wallet from which, with great
and exasperating deliberation, he produced a folded paper. This he
handed the captain--his manner, if possible, more than ever
self-effacing and meek.

The paper (it was parchment) crackled crisply in the captain's fingers.
He spread it out and held it to the light in such a position that Staff
could see it over his shoulder. He was unable to read its many closely
inscribed lines, but the heading "Treasury Department, Washington, D. C."
was boldly conspicuous, as well as an imposing official seal and the
heavily scrawled signature of the Secretary of the Treasury.

Beneath the blue cloth, the captain's shoulders moved impatiently. Staff
heard him say something indistinguishable, but of an intonation
calculated to express his emotion.

Iff giggled nervously: "Oh, captain! the ladies--"

Holding himself very stiff and erect, Captain Cobb refolded the document
and ceremoniously handed it back to the little man.

"I beg your pardon," he said in a low voice.

"Don't mention it," begged Iff. He replaced the paper in his wallet, the
wallet in his pocket. "I'm sure it's quite an excusable mistake on your
part, captain dear.... As for you, Mr. Manvers, you needn't apologise to
me," he added maliciously: "just make your apologies to Captain Cobb."

VII

STOLE AWAY!

And then (it seemed most astonishing!) nothing happened. The net outcome
of all this fuss and fluster was precisely _