813

I

The Tragedy at the Palace Hotel

Mr. Kesselbach stopped short on the threshold of the sitting-room, took his secretary’s arm and, in an anxious voice, whispered:

“Chapman, someone has been here again.”

“Surely not, sir,” protested the secretary. “You have just opened the hall-door yourself; and the key never left your pocket while we were lunching in the restaurant.”

“Chapman, someone has been here again,” Mr. Kesselbach repeated. He pointed to a traveling-bag on the mantelpiece. “Look, I can prove it. That bag was shut. It is now open.”