"Obviously some one was guilty of that theft who knew that Schwarz had gone to interview a rich Russian, and would in all probability return with a large sum of money in his possession ?" "Who, indeed, but the Prince and his secretary ?" she argued.

"But just now you said--" "Just now I said that the police were determined to find the Prince and his secretary guilty; they did not look further than their own stumpy noses.Messrs.Winslow and Vassall spent money with a free hand in those investigations.

Mr.Winslow, as the senior partner, stood to lose over L9000 by that robbery.

Now, with Mr.Vassall it was different.
"When I saw how the police went on blundering in this case I took the trouble to make certain inquiries, the whole thing interested me so much, and I learnt all that I wished to know.

I found out, namely, that Mr.Vassall was very much a junior partner in the firm, that he only drew ten per cent of the profits, having been promoted lately to a partnership from having been senior assistant.
"Now, the police did not take the trouble to find that out." "But you don't mean that--" "I mean that in all cases where robbery affects more than one person the first thing to find out is whether it affects the second party equally with the first.