Rudolph Von Behrling, against my advice, but because he was the Chancellor's nephew, was associated with me in a certain enterprise, the nature of which is no secret to you, Mademoiselle, or to Mr.Bellamy here.

We followed a man who, by some strange chance, was in possession of a few sheets of foolscap, the contents of which were alike priceless to my country and priceless to yours.

The subsequent history of those papers should have been automatic.

The first step was fulfilled readily enough.
The man disappeared--the papers were ours.

Von Behrling was the man who secured them, and Von Behrling it was who retained them.
If my advice had been followed, I admit frankly that we should have ignored all possible comment and returned with them at once to Vienna.