The Lieutenant's request, however, had due weight, and she graciously consented to join the party, which was further augmented by Mr. Riddle, who declared that "young people" meant anyone who felt young, and so he did not intend to be excluded.
The cards were accordingly shuffled, but during the deal, Belle discovered that though she had a pencil, no paper for scoring was anywhere obtainable.
"Oh, any old scrap will do," she said. "Surely some of you gentlemen have an old envelope on which we can keep tally. Jack? Mr. Riddle?"
Both gentlemen professed to an utter absence of any available material.
"You, Jim--then?" she queried, turning to the Secretary.
"I don't generally carry my correspondence round in my evening clothes," he protested, laughing.
"Idiot!" she retorted, with an affected depth of scorn. "How can you tell unless you've looked?"
"Oh well," he replied, "to please you----" and thrust his hand into the pocket of his coat. "Why," he exclaimed, "here is something! I declare, it's that mysterious letter which I intercepted at the Hyde Park Club night before last. Let me see, Kingsland, I think it dropped from the ceiling into your hands."
"The letter belongs to me," came the keen voice of Mr. Riddle.
"To you!" said Stanley, in genuine surprise.
"Yes. I gave it to Lieutenant Kingsland at the Hyde Park Club."
"But surely," contended the Secretary, "Lieutenant Kingsland told me, only that morning, that he didn't know who you were."
Silence fell on the little company. The Lieutenant flushed and moved uneasily in his seat, and Miss Fitzgerald leaned forward with a strained look in her face, while the keen, restless eye of Mr. Riddle swept round the table, taking in all present at a glance.
"Quite true. I did not till to-day have the pleasure of _knowing_ Lieutenant Kingsland. I saw him leaving the room at the club, however, and though he was a stranger, ventured, as I was unable to leave my party, to ask him to do me the favour to post a letter for me, handing him two-pence for the stamp. I had, it seems, very carelessly forgotten to address it."
"Yes," broke in the Lieutenant, catching his breath. "You remember I told you I didn't know who had given it to me."
"You will notice," continued Mr. Riddle, "that the envelope is sealed with the initials A. R. inclosed in scroll work. Here"--detaching it from his watch chain--"is the seal with which the impression was made."