d yet," said T. X., contemplating the burning end of his cigarette,
"you know her well enough to hold her promissory note."

"Promissory note?" asked the other.

His tone was one of involuntary surprise and T. X. swore softly to
himself for now he saw the faintest shade of relief in Kara's face. The
Commissioner realized that he had committed an error--he had been far
too definite.

"When I say promissory note," he went on easily, as though he had
noticed nothing, "I mean, of course, the securities which the debtor
invariably gives to one from whom he or she has borrowed large sums of
money."

Kara made no answer, but opening a drawer of his desk he took out a key
and brought it across to where T. X. was sitting.

"Here is the key of my safe," he said quietly. "You are at liberty to go
carefully through its contents and discover for yourself any promissory
note which I hold from Lady Bartholomew. My dear fellow, you don't
imagine I'm a moneylender, do you?" he said in an injured tone.

"Nothing was further from my thoughts," said T. X., untruthfully.

But the other pressed the key upon him.

"I should be awfully glad if you would look for yourself," he said
earnestly. "I feel that in some way you associate Lady Bartholomew's
illness with some horrible act of usury on my part--will you satisfy
yourself and in doing so satisfy me?"

Now any ordinary man, and possibly any ordinary detective, would have
made the conventional answer. He would have protested that he had no
intention of doing anything of the sort; he would have uttered, if
he were a man in the position which T. X. occupied, the conventional
statement that he had no authority to search the private papers, and
that he would certainly not avail himself of the other's kindness.
But T. X. was not an ordinary person. He took the key and balanced it
lightly in the palm of his hand.

"Is this the key of the famous bedroom safe?" he said banteringly.

Kara was looking down at him with a quizzical smile. "It isn't the safe
you opened in my absence, on one memorable occasion, Mr. Meredith," he
said. "As you probably know, I have changed that safe, but perhaps you
don't feel equal to the task?"

"On the contrary," said T. X., calmly, and rising from the chair, "I am
going to put your good faith to the test."

For answer Kara walked to the door and opened it.

"Let me show you the way," he said politely.

He passed along the corridor and entered the apart