Just then Locke, whom Balcom had almost ignored up to the present, heard the noise of some one coming through the conservatory.  It was Paul Balcom, his coat on his arm, his sleeves rolled up, and a tennis-racquet in his hand, as he had come just from the courts.

Paul glanced surlily at Locke, who bowed pleasantly to him, as well he might, considering their relative positions in Eva’s real affections.  Catching sight of his father with Eva, Paul paused a moment.

It was just at that instant that Balcom had been saying to her:  “Why don’t you marry Paul, as you promised your father and me?  That would settle all the difficulties.”

Paul had suspected the nature of the conversation, though he approached as if ignorant of it.  Apparently catching the drift, he deftly urged her, but Eva tactfully changed the subject, greatly to Paul’s chagrin and his father’s ill-suppressed anger.

The suspense of the situation was relieved for Eva by the nearer approach of Locke, who must have had some inkling of what was going on.  Paul and his father exchanged glances as the young chemist and detective joined Eva, and it was evident that no love toward him was wasted by either.

“Excuse me,” she apologized, walking away with Locke, “but there is something very important that I must attend to for my father’s interests.”

Locke and Eva walked to the safe, while Balcom and Paul watched like hawks.

A moment later Eva was kneeling before the safe, after giving Locke a paper which contained the combination numbers to open the bolts.  Locke glanced at it, then held it where Eva could read: 

  Combination of Safe
  Turn once left to 40
  Three right to 18
  Once left to 40

As Locke held the paper and Eva’s slender hand spun the combination lock, Balcom and Paul moved silently forward.  Although Locke was holding the paper with the combinations for Eva, he heard them come up behind him and knew that they were watching.  With a quiet smile to himself he moved the paper over so that they could see it, nor were they slow to take advantage of the chance.  Locke’s mind was working fast, and he had a purpose in what seemed to be carelessness or even foolishness.

A moment later Eva opened the safe and from it she took a typewritten document of many pages.

It read: 

  Board of directors,

  International Patents, Inc.,
  New York.

Gentlemen,—­In view of the government’s anti-trust investigation, I have prepared this list of inventions we have suppressed.  I think we should discuss at our annual meeting the advisability of surrendering our rights to these inventions, no matter what may happen to the corporations we have been protecting.

  Very truly yours,

  Peter Brent.

Following this letter was a bulky paper, or rather set of papers, which detailed the inventions and their history, exposing some of the nefarious operations of the corporation.