A slight frown which had been growing upon the smooth brow of the diplomatist was instantly dissipated.

“The money—­fifty thousand dollars in gold coin—­was paid to me yesterday afternoon about four o’clock,” he began slowly, in explanation.

“By Mr. Cressy of the International Investment Company,” supplemented Mr. Grimm.  “Yes.  Go on.”

The diplomatist favored the young man with one sharp, inquiring glance, and continued: 

“The gentleman who paid the money remained here from four until nine o’clock while I, personally, counted it.  As I counted it I placed it in canvas bags and when he had gone I took these bags from this room into that,” he indicated a closed door to his right, “and personally stowed them away in the safe.  I closed and locked the door of the safe myself; I know that it was locked.  And that’s all, except this morning the money was gone—­every dollar of it.”

“Safe blown?” inquired Mr. Grimm.

“No, Senor!” exclaimed the diplomatist with sudden violence.  “No, the safe was not blown!  It was closed and locked, exactly as I had left it!”

Mr. Grimm was idly twisting the seal ring on his little finger.

“Just as I left it!” Senor Rodriguez repeated excitedly.  “Last night after I locked the safe door I tried it to make certain that it was locked.  I happened to notice then that the pointer on the dial had stopped precisely at number forty-five.  This morning, when I unlocked the safe—­and, of course, I didn’t know then that the money had been taken—­the pointer was still at number forty-five.”

He paused with one hand in the air; Mr. Grimm continued to twist the seal ring.

“It was all like—­like some trick on the stage,” the minister went on, “like the magician’s disappearing lady, or—­or—!  It was as though I had not put the money into the safe at all!”

“Did you?” inquired Mr. Grimm amiably.

“Did I?” blazed Senor Rodriguez.  “Why, Senor—!  I did!” he concluded meekly.

Mr. Grimm believed him.

“Who else knows the combination of the safe?” he queried.

“No one, Senor—­not a living soul.”

“Your secretary, for instance?”

“Not even my secretary.”

“Some servant—­some member of your family?”

“I tell you, Senor, not one person in all the world knew that combination except myself,” Senor Rodriguez insisted.

“Your secretary—­a servant—­some member of your family might have seen you unlock the safe some time, and thus learned the combination?”

Senor Rodriguez did not quite know whether to be annoyed at Mr. Grimm’s persistence, or to admire the tenacity with which he held to this one point.

“You must understand, Senor Grimm, that many state documents are kept in the safe,” he said finally, “therefore it is not advisable that any one should know the combination.  I have made it an absolute rule, as did my predecessors here, never to unlock the safe in the presence of another person.”