It's easy to see from these how deeply the poor woman was involved without her knowing that she was mixing herself up in a great conspiracy." Tarling assented.

One by one he took the letters from their envelopes, read them and replaced them.

He was half-way through the pile when he stopped and carried a letter to the window.
"Listen to this," he said: "Forgive the smudge, but I am in an awful hurry, and I have got my fingers inky through the overturning of an ink bottle." "Nothing startling in that," said Whiteside with a smile.
"Nothing at all," admitted Tarling.

"But it happens that our friend has left a very good and useful thumb-print.

At least, it looks too big for a finger-print." "Let me see it," said Whiteside, springing up.
He went to the other's side and looked over his shoulder at the letter in his hand, and whistled.