As a rule, my confreres carry the
official packages in a despatch-box, which is just as obvious as a
lady's jewel-bag in the hands of her maid. Everyone knows they are
carrying something of value. They put a premium on dishonesty. Well,
after I saw the 'Scrap-of-Paper' play, I determined to put the
government valuables in the most unlikely place that anyone would
look for them. So I used to hide the documents they gave me inside my
riding-boots, and small articles, such as money or jewels, I carried
in an old cigar-case. After I took to using my case for that purpose
I bought a new one, exactly like it, for my cigars. But, to avoid
mistakes, I had my initials placed on both sides of the new one, and
the moment I touched the case, even in the dark, I could tell which
it was by the raised initials.
"No one knew of this except the Queen's Messenger of whom I spoke. We
once left Paris together on the Orient Express. I was going to
Constantinople and he was to stop off at Vienna. On the journey I
told him of my peculiar way of hiding things and showed him my cigar-
case. If I recollect rightly, on that trip it held the grand cross of
St.
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