This last would
have been a miracle, and this is not the day of miracles, therefore--!"
Mr. Grimm's well modulated voice trailed off into silence. Senor
Rodriguez came to his feet with a blaze of anger in his eyes; Mr. Grimm
was watching him curiously.
"I understand then, Senor," said the minister deliberately, "that you
believe that I--!"
"I believe that you have told the truth," interrupted Mr. Grimm
placidly, "that is the truth so far as you know it. But you have stated
one thing in error. Somebody besides yourself _does_ know the
combination. Whether they knew it or not at this time yesterday I can't
say, but somebody knows it now."
Senor Rodriguez drew a deep breath of relief. The implied accusation had
been withdrawn as pleasantly and frankly as it had been put forward.
"I ran across a chap in New York once, for instance," Mr. Grimm took the
trouble to explain, "who could unlock any safe--that is, any safe of the
kind used at that time--twelve or fourteen years ago. So you see. I
doubt if he would be so successful with the new models, with all their
improvements, but then--! You know he would have made an ideal burglar,
that chap.
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