ng except the noise they might make."

"And," remarked Le Moyne, "of course any footprints there were
outside had been partly worn away by the rain. None of any use were
found, and besides for days the police had tramped over every foot of
the garden."

"Not to leave you puzzled," said Merton, "and really it must have been
rather bewildering, I beg that Greville tell you the whole story."

"With pleasure," I said. "Colonel Merton and I were the burglars"; and
thereupon I related our adventure.

"No one suspected you," said the count; "but what astonishes me the
most is the concealment under a blazing fire of things as easily
burned as papers. I see now, but even after the ashes were thrown
about by you, the police refused to believe they could have been used
to safeguard papers. I should like to tell your story to our old chief
of police. He is now retired."

"I see no objection," said I.

"Better not," said Merton. "My wife's share should not, even now, be
told."

"You are right," said the countess, "quite right. But how did it occur
to you, Madame Merton, to use the ashes as you did?"

"Let me answer," said the colonel. "Any American would know how
completely ashes are non-conductors of heat. I knew of their use on
one occasion in our Civil War to hide and preserve the safe-conduct of
a spy."

"And," said I, "their protective power explains some of the so-called
miracles when, as in Japan, men walk over what seems to be a bed of
glowing red-hot coals."

"How stupid the losing side appears," said the count, "when one hears
all of both sides!"

"But," asked the countess, "how did you get the papers to London? It
seems a simple thing, but my husband will tell you that never have
there been such extreme measures taken as in this case. The emperor
was furious, and yet to the end every one was in the dark."

"You must have played your game well," said Le Moyne.

"Luck is a very good player," I said, "and we had our share."

"Ah, there was more than luck when no amount of cross-questioning
could get a word out of Madame Merton."

"My husband insists that I have never been able to make up for that
long silence."

We laughed as the count said: "One can jest over it now, but at the
time the only amusement I got out of the whole affair was when your
dummy envelop came back from London with a savage criticism of the
police by our not overpleased embassy in England. I did want to laugh,
but M. de Lhuys did no