Steingall, to all intents and purposes paying less heed to the man than to any other person present, had not missed one labored breath, one twitch of an eyelid, one nervous gesture.

His phenomenal instinct in the detection of crime had fastened unerringly on a singular coincidence.

Curtis had hazarded a guess that the real malefactors were Hungarians, and here was a Hungarian Count denouncing Curtis.

Certainly that question of nationality promised remarkable developments.
When the whole party, consisting of some fifteen persons, had gathered behind the closed door of the hotel's private office, Steingall took the lead in directing the proceedings.
"It will help straighten out a tangle if I say exactly what has taken place here to-night--that is, to the best of our knowledge," he said.
"There is every reason to believe that Mr.John D.Curtis arrived in New York this afternoon from Europe----" "Right," broke in Devar.

"I traveled with him on the _Lusitania_." "Yes, his presence on board was announced in most of the papers," added a journalist.
"Please don't interrupt," said the detective.