Malta, and recognized that they could only be of service to a foreign government.  Then came the Leghorn incident of which you told me.  The yacht’s name had been changed to the Lola, and she had been repainted.  I made searching inquiry, and found that on the evening she was purposely run aground in order to strike up a friendship at the Consulate, a Russian gunboat was lying in the vicinity.  The Consul’s safe was rifled, and the scheme certainly was to transfer anything obtained from it to the Russian gunboat.”

“But what was in the safe?” I asked.

“Fortunately nothing.  But you see they knew that our squadron was due in Leghorn, and that some extremely important despatches were on the way to the Admiral—­secret orders based upon the decision of the British Cabinet as to the vexed question of Russian ships passing the Dardanelles—­they expected that they would be lodged in the safe until the arrival of the squadron, as they always are.  They were, however, bitterly disappointed because the despatches had not arrived.”

“And then?”

“Well, the only Russian who appeared to have any connection with them was Baron Oberg, the Governor-General of Finland, whose habit it was to spend part of the winter in the Mediterranean.  From Elma Heath’s conversation at dinner that evening at Nice I gathered that she and her uncle had been guests on the Iris on several occasions, although I must say that Muriel was extremely reticent regarding all that concerned the yacht.”

“Of course,” she said quickly.  “Now that I have told you the truth, Jack, don’t you think it was only natural?”

“Most certainly, dear,” he answered, still holding her hand.  “Yours was not a secret that you could very well tell to me until you could thoroughly trust me, especially as your father had been implicated in the theft of those documents from Malta.  The truth is,” he said, turning to me, “Philip Leithcourt has all along been the catspaw of Baron Oberg.  A few years ago he was a well-known money-lender in the city, and in that capacity met the Baron, who, being in disgrace, required a loan.  He was also in the habit of having certain shady transactions with that daring gang of continental thieves of whom Dick Archer and Hylton Chater were leaders.  For this reason he purchased a yacht for their use, so that they might not only use it for the purpose of storing the stolen goods, but for the purpose of sailing from place to place under the guise of wealthy Englishmen traveling for pleasure.  Upon that vessel, indeed, was stored thousands and thousands of pounds’ worth of jewels and objects of value, the proceeds of many great robberies in England, France and Belgium.  Sometimes they traveled for the purpose of disposing of the jewels in various inland towns where the gems, having been recut, were not recognized, while at other times, Chater and Archer, assisted by Mackintosh, the captain, and Olinto Santini, the steward, sailed for a port, landed, committed a robbery, and then sailed away again, quite unsuspected, as rich Englishmen.”