eeing Mrs. Burke in the house. I'll take it to him in case there is a
reply."

He went through to the dining-room, knocked at the door and opened it.
Mrs. Burke, her eyes flashing and her cheeks flushed, was standing
facing Eustace, who sat by the table with his head resting on his hand.

"Here's a telegram--Johnson is waiting to see if there is any reply,"
Harding said, as he held out the message.

Eustace took the telegram mechanically, opened and read it and handed
it, open, to Harding.

"Read it," he said. "There's no answer. I'll join you presently."

Harding left the room, glancing at the message as he crossed the
passage. It required no answer, as Eustace had said. It was very brief.

"Inspector Wallace will take charge."

Harding whistled. Wallace was the senior inspector of the service, and
his special faculty was the unravelling of tangled accounts and the
detection of defaulting managers and cashiers. Leaving the ordinary
inspection of branches to his juniors, Wallace only journeyed from the
head office to take charge when grave suspicions were entertained as to
the integrity of a branch staff. The telegram was tantamount to an
intimation that the authorities of the bank did not regard the robbery
as the work of an outsider.

As he re-entered the office, Brennan was standing at the entrance with
Johnson.

"No answer," Harding said quietly, and Johnson nodded and went off.
Brennan turned and crossed to the counter.

"Is Mr. Eustace about?" he asked.

"He is talking to Mrs. Burke in the dining-room. She's rather excited,
and he took her in there because she would shout so. He'll be back in a
few minutes, unless you want to tell him something particularly at
once," Harding answered.

Brennan glanced at a telegram he held in his hand.

"It will do when he comes out," he answered slowly. "Have you had any
word?" he added, as he leant over the counter.

"The head office wires that Inspector Wallace--our bank inspector, that
is, not one of your police inspectors--is coming up."

"Is that all?"

Harding gave a short laugh.

"All? It's quite enough, Brennan. Between you and me it means that
Eustace and I are suspected--one of us or both."

"Yes, that's right," Brennan said quietly. "One or both."

As he spoke he held out a message for Harding to read.

"Keep manager under close surveillance till I arrive.
"DURHAM."

"You know who Durham is?" Brennan asked.

"Never heard of h