"
"There is no need to hurry," said Mrs. Vansittart to herself.
And before the door was quite closed she was on her feet again. The
office was bare and orderly. Even the waste-paper baskets were empty.
The books were locked away and the desks were clear. But the small
green safe stood in the corner. Mrs. Vansittart went towards it, key in
hand. The key was the right one. It had only been selected by guesswork
among a number on Roden's bunch. It slipped into the lock and turned
smoothly, but the door would not move. She tugged and wrenched at the
handle, then turned it accidentally, and the heavy door swung open.
There were two drawers at the bottom of the safe which were not locked,
and contained neatly folded papers. Her fingers were among these in a
moment. The papers were folded and tied together. Many of the bundles
were labelled. A long narrow envelope lay at the bottom of the drawer.
She seized it quickly and turned it over. It bore no address nor any
superscription. "Ah!" she said breathlessly, and slipped her finger
within the flap of the envelope. Then she hesitated for a moment, and
turned on her heel. Von Holzen was standing in the doorway looking at
her.
They stared at each other for a moment in silence. Mrs. Vansittart's
lips were drawn back, showing her even, white teeth. Von Holzen's quiet
eyes were wide open, so that the white showed all around the dark
pupil. Then he sprang at her without a word.
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