“This is a case for you, I think,” he said.

“Oh!” Linckes sat up. “What is the matter?” He looked inquiringly from Winthrop’s impassive countenance to the secretary’s surprised, vaguely nervous expression. “Anything wrong?”

“A very great deal. Come and look at these documents. You too, Fortescue.”

Linckes went to the table and spread open the various sheets. Looking over his shoulder, the secretary gave a startled gasp. But Linckes’ heart was beating madly. Every sheet was blank, not only the supposed plans.

“Good heavens!” he said.

“Exactly!” Winthrop turned to Fortescue. “Mr. Fortescue, I saw Mr. Caryu this morning. He informed me that he was sending certain important papers. Did you know this?”

“No, Sir Charles. Oh, heavens! Surely—”

He broke off, staring blankly at Winthrop.

Winthrop sat down at his desk.

“Your case was stolen, Mr. Fortescue. Presumably when you dropped it in Piccadilly.”

“But—but, Sir Charles, it was only on the ground for an instant. Besides, who could know that the case contained anything important?”

“I’m afraid I cannot tell you that,” Winthrop said coolly. “Will you please try and remember the exact circumstances of your dropping it?”

“I—I crossed to the ‘island’, Sir Charles, and waited for the stream of traffic to pass. There — there were a good many people on the ‘island’, and, as I said, there was a lot of pushing and barging. There was a stout woman who rather lost her head and tried to make a dash for the other side of the road, and had to get back again to the ‘island’ in a hurry. She must have pushed the man standing next to me. Anyway, he fell against me, and I lost my balance, and—and I dropped the case.”

“And this man,” said Winthrop. “Was he by any chance carrying a dispatch-case?”

The secretary moistened his lips.

“I—I’m afraid I didn’t notice, sir. I dare say he was. It was at an hour when most men are coming away from business, and— Oh, heavens!” He ended on a stricken note. “What a fool I am! What a damned fool! If only I’d known that there were important papers in the case! Sir Charles, it—they—they weren’t the new plans?”

“That is precisely what they were,” Winthrop answered.

He unhooked the receiver from the telephone and called a number. While he was waiting to be connected he glanced at Linckes, smiling rather wearily.

“Well, here’s your chance, Linckes. And he’s got away with it, the scoundrel! Hallo! Is that Mr. Caryu’s house? Put me through to him, please. Winthrop speaking. Thanks!”

Again there was a pause. Then he began to speak into the telephone. Quite calmly he told Caryu all that had happened. At the end he hung up the receiver and nodded to Fortescue.

“Mr. Caryu wants you to go back, Fortescue.”

Some of the pallor left Fortescue’s face.

“Mr.—Mr. Caryu doesn’t suspect me, sir?”

“No. You’d better get along as fast as possible. Tell Mr. Caryu that I shall come round at once.”