There's a thick stand of'em, Holmes.  They begin down there at the London       City Road and follow south about a quarter of a mile from the property          line.  They extend back until they reach another north-south road.                                                                                              I expect that that's valuable land.  Someone'll buy it up someday and put       houses all 'round!                                                              The door's kept locked from after dinner and through to breakfast.              Only the servant girl and the day cook use this entrance at all.                There's two other boarders here, Holmes.  Boyle's a librarian and self-         anointed 'Professor' of History.                                                                                                                                Applegate's a clerk who works down on the city docks for a customs house.  I    Talked with both of them immediately after I got here. Boyle's been living      here for 6 years; Applegate for about 3.                                        Her name's Helen Prince.  She's been working here about a year.  Seems to       be about 18 years old.                                                                                                                                          Miss Helen left the Midlands to fine a 'better life' here in London.                                                                                            Somehow this doesn't appear to be 'better' than what she might have left!       Mrs. Lakly has been the manager here for about 3 years now.  The syndicate      that owns this house also owns several other properties around London.          She's been with them for all of 17 years and managed some of their other        houses.                                                                                                                                                         She seems to be a stable, no nonsense about her type of lady.  She was          married to a furniture maker who passed on about 4 years ago.  She seems        to be making a decent living working here.                                      There doesn't appear to be anything amiss with the knives, Holmes.  We          double checked and can account for everyone that's supposed to be here.         The police asked me about the same thing, sir.  I checked with them and         I can't see that any's missing.  I sometimes help with the day cook so I        would know what's 'ere and what's not. And all the knives are 'ere!             Looks like it's just some of that rubbish from the construction.                                                                                                There's quite a bit of it around, Holmes, or hadn't you noticed?                One of my men spotted'em early on.  We followed them back to the woods.         Ground there's pretty hard, what with the rocks and hard dirt.  The trail       just disappeared.                                                                                                                                               Whoever it was, though, went off almost due west.  We searched the trees        and low bushes for anything we could find, but there's nothing out there.       There's been some repair work going on around here.  You can see what           they've been doing to that old balcony.  Even secured that trellis to           the back wall, though I can't imagine why.                                      Nothing's grown on it for years, from the looks of it, and it doesn't look      like anything will, either!                                                     Applegate's room is off to the left of the north corridor; Boyle's is           off to the right.  Both of these gentlemen are gone for the day.                                                                                                We questioned'em both - nothing.                                                Mr. Piedmont was a kind man.  I came to like him because he made no fuss,       spoke nice to me 'n Helen, and paid his rent proper-like.  He's only been       here a few weeks, about the same time Mr. Pelton came.  They never seemed to    have any trouble between'em.                                                                                                                                    Usually you can tell how people get along when you set'em at the table          together.  All our boarders got along together real well.                       Like with Mr. Piedmont, I had no trouble with Mr. Pelton.  Seemed even          quieter than poor Mr. Piedmont, if that can be imagined!                                                                                                        He was a hard worker, that one!  He would stay up all hours of the night        just pushin' those numbers around those papers of his!                          The body's like we found it.  A couple of deep knife wounds to the chest,       but no weapon in sight.  The face has been eaten by acid.  It's difficult       to tell exactly what kind of acid it would have been, but the boy's are         working on it at the Yard.                                                                                                                                      I guess the murderer had to have carried that bottle in with him and            carried it out, too.  We haven't seen anything like one around here or          outside.                                                                        It appears that the murder weapon was a small knife, maybe 3 or 4 inches in     the blade.  There are 2 knife wounds, one almost dead centre in the chest,      the other off to the left.                                                                                                                                      Piedmont died through loss of blood, according to the examiner.  I figure       that it wouldn't have taken too long.                                           As you can see, it's a key lock.  The lock was engaged until Mrs. Lakly         opened the door.  Piedmont's key was found inside his coat pocket with          some foreign coins.                                                             The bolt is still fastened.  It's a traditional slidebolt.  With that           bolt slid into its yoke there's no way that someone could open the              window from outside.                                                                                                                                            I dare say it would be quite a trick to bolt the window except from the         inside!                                                                         I don't believe that Mr. Piedmont had any visitors, or plans for visitors,      that night.  In fact, the only person I knew that visited Mr. Piedmont is a     Mr. Warnek, but that's only during the day.                                                                                                                     Of course, my room is too far away to know if anybody was let in the front      door after 10:00.  That's the time I usually retire.                            Mr. Warnek is employed by a local property agency; Drucker's, I believe         is the name.  He's been showing Mr. Piedmont some properties in the area.       I believe that Mr. Piedmont was very interested in purchasing his own home      in the borough.                                                                 We found this envelope inside the box that Pelton alleges the victim            gave him for safekeeping.  It's a rather unusual document in that the           outer envelope is addressed to Piedmont but there is an inner envelope          that is addressed to an 'SM'. The actual letter, if that is what you            can call it, is inside of that second envelope.                                                                                                                 The text of the document is in some sort of code, Holmes.  We've not yet        been able to break it, though.  It appears sticky enough to warrant my          sending it to Naval Intelligence at Whitehall.                                  No, Mr. Pelton never has any sort of visitor.  Quite a shy and retiring man     he was....is!  I never heard him talk of family, except when he first           arranged for rooms.  Then he mentioned something about some family up North.                                                                                    He never said anything after that though.                                       That's the main entrance, Holmes.  There's only one other door to the           house and that's around back.  The doors are always kept locked, except         for the time immediately after breakfast and before supper.  There's            enough activity in the house to allow for such liberties.                       The boarders, the manager, and the servant girl all have keys to the            house.  The day cook must be let in each morning before breakfast.  She         does not herself have a key.                                                    Those there are the boarders' boxes.  These things are stored here because      they either have no immediate use for anything in the boxes or there is not     enough room in their apartments to bring in all of their possessions.                                                                                           Truth to tell, almost all of these cartons belong to Mr. Boyle.                 John Warnek came into my employ on the 12th.  He had good references from       the Ryder Agency in Chelsea, a decent appearance, and he spoke well, so I       hired him.  Never had trouble with him as far as his work goes.                                                                                                 He lives over on Bilestone Road; number 18, I believe.  Says he's been          there for a couple of years and likes it.                                                                                                                       I can't see why!  Bilestone's in the middle of Southwark Proper, down in        what some around here call the 'rat hole'.                                      Mr. Warnek's lived here for nearly 2 years now. He's gone every once in a       while for a couple of days, so I really don't notice much that he's gone        sometimes.                                                                                                                                                      Always been straight with me. Pays his rent on time, makes no bother for        me in any way. Lives kind of quiet, like. Only saw one visitor in all           that time - a shorter man, heavy built. Kind of reminded me of a military       man, the way he walked and all!                                                                                                                                 I never quite knew what Mr. Warnek worked at, though. He would keep             devilish strange hours. You just never knew when he was going to leave          or come back.                                                                   Let me see - number 78.088, you say? I'll just look that up; I know that        it's a recent one.                                                                                                                                              (Bender moved back into the dusky, dusty darkness of his shop emerging a        few moments later with a wooden box of rough appearance. He proceeded to        carry his little treasure to the counter with great ceremony.)                                                                                                  Here it is, gentlemen. Number 78.088                                            That's the man what's name's on this receipt. He came in here about a week      ago last Tuesday. Said he was just now arrived from Europe and that he was      needing a bit o'silver to start up, you see now.                                                                                                                There's nought in this box 'cept a small diamond thing and a piece of old       newspaper. Can't give much on that, now, can I?                                 His name is Hugh Carr.  Carr's been an agent for the Foreign Office for a-      bout 6 years. I recommended him for this mission.                               We received a telegram that he had dispatched on the 6th from Rotterdam.        Carr arrived back in London on the 10th and I met with him at his home,         Argyle House, two days later. The meeting was brief; Carr appeared to be        highly agitated. He believed that his identity had been uncovered so he         abandoned Rotterdam quickly. He explained that the theft was to take place      by a 'switch but was not taken into the leaders' confidence. We do              know that a 'Kenraw' is in some way implicated.                                                                                                                 I was to see Carr again on the 16th at my office, but he never arrived.         He has not been at Argyle House since the 15th.                                 The Cameos are a small collection of ancient carvings done in obsidian          stone.  They were uncovered at an archeological dig near Messina nearly         20 years ago.  The stones appear to have been carved near the start of          the ancient Roman period and, as such, have great historical import to          the Kingdom of Italy.                                                                                                                                           This exhibition, the first ever, was scheduled for this week at the             National Museum of Art. We have postponed it rather than cancel it.             The Cameos are a small collection of ancient carvings done in obsidian          stone.  They were uncovered at an archeological dig near Messina nearly         20 years ago.  The stones appear to have been carved near the start of          the ancient Roman period and, as such, have great historical import to          the Kingdom of Italy.                                                                                                                                           This exhibition, the first ever, was scheduled for this week at the             National Museum of Art.  We have postponed it rather than cancel it             outright.                                                                       There had been rumblings throughout the underworld that a 'snatch' had          been planned for the Cameos.  A collector would pay handsomely for              such a collection.  Cardinal Luis diSantoro and 2 priests were to carry         the stones from Rome, to the Hague, and then to London.                                                                                                         Carr had spent some weeks in Rome attempting to infiltrate a gang that he       suspected of planning the snatch.  The original plan was never executed.        We do know that.  Whatever the alternate plan was and who executed it we do     not know.                                                                                                                                                       We do know it happened on the ship the SS Crimea en route from Holland to       London.                                                                         Cardinal diSantoro is acting as both the personal legate of the Pope as         well as courier of the stones.  He is an elder statesman of the church and      the curator of antiquities for the Vatican.  You can imagine how he must        feel about all of this for it was on his insistence that his Holiness           acquiesed to this exhibition.                                                   If you are interested in seeing him, he has a small office at the National      Museum.                                                                         The legation traveled from Rotterdam on the Crimea of the Carlton-Star          lines.  The Crimea docked at White Quay in St. Paul's dock on the evening       of the 9th.  It was not until the Cardinal arrived at the National that         he realized that a switch had taken place.                                      The legation traveled from Rotterdam on the Crimea of the Carlton-Star          Lines.  The Crimea docked at White Quay in St. Paul's dock on the evening       of the 9th.  It was not until the Cardinal arrived at the National that         he realized that a switch had taken place.                                      All twelve Cameos were found in a small cave near to an archeological ex-       cavation.                                                                       Each is no larger than 3 inches in size, but they are finely carved and         delicately shaded.  They are black in colour and, taken together, weigh         perhaps no more than 12 pounds.                                                 As historical treasures, Mr. Holmes, these stones are priceless!  They date     back to the very founding of Rome.  In many ways, they have come to be          symbolic of the eternal city itself.                                            I can only imagine what a collector of some wealth might offer for these        Cameoes, either as a group or just one.                                                                                                                         They must be recovered, Mr Holmes!                                                                                                                              They must be recovered!                                                         We, myself and my two traveling companions, boarded the Crimea at               Rotterdam.  I went directly to my stateroom, opened the satchel in              which I was carrying the Cameos, and examined each piece.  I then locked        the carrying bag and placed it in a steamer trunk, which I also locked.                                                                                         The Cameos were never disturbed during the voyage.                                                                                                              When we landed at St. Paul's, I removed the satchel from the trunk.  I          had no reason to examine the Cameos at that time.  I simply walked ashore       and went directly to the Museum.                                                I cannot tell you when this might have occurred. I stayed to my state-          room for nearly all the journey.  There was one time when, for but a            minute or two, I walked about the deck with my companions.  The state-          room was locked, however, we were never far from my door throughout             that short time and never off the deck leading to my room.                                                                                                      I just cannot imagine when the Cameos could have been taken.                    The stateroom opens onto the port side of the ship directly onto the            uppermost deck.  There is but a single porthole and that is fixed               firmly in place.                                                                                                                                                My companions shared an adjoining stateroom which was attached to               mine by a single interior door.  Their stateroom opened onto the deck,          but facing forward of the ship.                                                                                                                                 I can tell you, Mr. Holmes, that the adjoining door was never - not for a       minute - unlocked.  Whoever it was that wished to see me had to come through    the stateroom door.                                                             A complete list of the passengers should be available on the Crimea.                                                                                            We keep no such listing here. You must see the purser for it.                   There were six passengers on board the Crimea from Rotterdam; three priests     and three other men.  I did not see much of either group, except for the        priests.                                                                                                                                                        I recall seeing them at one time, all out on the stern deck. They were talking  quite intensely about something or other. They stood there for some time        before returning to their cabins.                                               I have a list of passenger names, if that would be of some use to you.          A lot of us wear'em, you know. Kind of a badge that tells us apart. We          here on the White quay wear these yellow sort. Those who work the Long Quay     wear blue one's, and like that.                                                                                                                                 If you're interested in seein' a whole bellyful of'em                           should stop up to the   "                                                       Angel Inn.                                                                      The Angel's a pub, mate,.  It's just round back of that warehouse there. It's   where a good many of us hang our hats, if you get my drift'n meanin', when      there be no ships a'port.                                                       Warnek!?                                                                                                                                                        Never 'eard of the bloke!  'Course, there's boys down here maybe 13, 15         years and I don't know their names, neither.                                                                                                                    You know, it's a funny business bein' a porter!                                 It's been several days since I last saw Mr. Carr, sir.  At least a week         ago last Friday.  He awoke early, as he's used to doin', packed off some        clothes and tol' me not to worry and that he was just leavin' for a bit.                                                                                        I haven't heard from him since.                                                 Mr. Carr never has had many visitors, sir; at least, to say, not lately.                                                                                        There was a time when I can remember great dinners here; but that's long        past.                                                                                                                                                           Mr. Carr hasn't seen anyone here in the longest time.                           Ah, yes!                                                                                                                                                        A very special blend!  There are only three customers in all the world          for this one.  I always prepare this mixture fresh when they come to see        me.  You'll notice a hint of latakia in the mix to give just a touch of         depth to the bright burley's, cavendishes, and aromatics.                                                                                                       This is a delightful smoke; a most delightful snoke.  And the aroma is          quite distinctive also.                                                         One of them is Mr. Geoffrey Bryant, a stockbroker at Liddle & Grey.             Mr. Bryant comes in once a week, and usually on a Friday, to buy his            packet.                                                                                                                                                         Then there's Guy DePaul who is well-known as the partner in the firm of         DePaul & Resizes.  They trade in fine gems, jewelry, and so on.  Mr DePaul      usually stops on a Saturday.                                                                                                                                    I shouldn't forget Mr. Carr, although it's been quite some time since I've      had his custom.  I believe that he's a clerk in Whitehall.                      Don't know nothin' about him.  I get alot of boys through here.  Can't          know every bloke's name, you see!                                               Yeah - Warnek!  Big guy; comes in twice a week right as rain.  Two              pints is all he orders and he's off again.  We talk once in a while.            He works at White Quay for the C-S Line.  He porters trunks and                 luggage around for the passengers.                                              Never heard of Kenraw.  Maybe he's been in; maybe's not.                        Yes, Mr. Holmes; I do indeed smoke Carey's mixture.  Usually go down            on a Friday after The House closes and buy my packet.                           Mr. Carey once told me that there's two other men who smoke this mix.           I believe he did mention 'Carr', but I can't be sure.                                                                                                           I do know that I never actually met either of these men.                        I'm sorry, Mr. Holmes, if I sound like a cultural bohemian.  I've not           heard of these Cameos.                                                                                                                                          I spend a considerable amount of time either here or at The House. I            suppose I do miss out on much of what is happening out there!                   As you can see here, gentlemen, I own an impressive collection of Hittite       and Assyrian antiquities. I dare say that the British Museum alone can          outdo this fine collection!                                                                                                                                     I have an affinity for that period in our history as a people. That is why I    collect what I collect!                                                                                                                                         As a firm, we trade in jewels, gems, and occasional antiquities. But these      here, gentlemen, are my prize!                                                  I was looking forward to the Cameos Exhibition, I must say. I see that it       has been postponed, though. Not as much a bother for us Londoners, but I        know that collectors, historians, and art enthusiasts from around the globe     have come for this exhibition, or are en route right now. Must be quite a       blow to step off the boat only to find the exhibition off!                                                                                                      I especially feel sorry for the likes of Shaw and some of the others who        have arrived from North America.                                                You've not heard of Martin Shaw?                                                                                                                                The Gazette gave him quite a write, you know!                                                                                                                   Shaw's an expatriate who went to Canada; Montreal, I believe. He's              internationally known for his early Greek and Roman statuary. We've sold        pieces to him, but we don't really carry the antiquities he cares for.                                                                                          If we did, we would be able to sell it all to Shaw and he would come back       hungry for more. Made his fortune in shipping, if I recall. He has              enough to buy what he wants.                                                    Yes Sir, there is a Mr. Shaw registered here. He arrived on the 10th and        plans on staying until the 1st of May.                                                                                                                          You may be able to find him in the Leicester Suite.                             No luck, Holmes. We've not been able to trace that revolver to anyone. We       know that it's Italian made, of that we're positive.                                                                                                            We're also quite sure that it had not been fired on the night of the            murder.                                                                         The murder weapon's never been found, Holmes. The medical examiner did a        rigorous post-mortem. Based on his findings, we know that the knife             could not have had a blade more than 3 inches long.                             We took the bottle around to a few chemists in the area. Mayback's uses         that peculiar shade of blue bottle.                                                                                                                             They have a name on the register for the purchaser, but we've cleared the       man. The acid was a vitriol compound.                                           Pelton's still at Bow Street swearing his innocence. He's kept pretty much      to his original story about the box and how he came to have it.                 The Admiralty has had a copy of that beknighted piece of code and their         best men have been unable to crack it! Pelton says that he knows nothing        of it whatsoever.  Personally, I'm still at an end as to what 'SM'              means!                                                                          The Admiralty has had a copy of that beknighted piece of code and their         best men have been unable to break it!                                                                                                                          Pelton still says that he knows nothing of it whatsoever. Personally,           I'm still at an end as to what 'SM' means!                                      Colonel Moran is not here.  As a matter of fact, I have not seen him            since Friday evening.                                                           Mr. Shaw was here on Friday to play some cards and gather some recol-           lections. He was partnered with the Colonel, if I recall. The two did           quite a handsome job of it that night, too!                                                                                                                     It has been quite a while since Mr. Shaw had been here. Over a year, I          would imagine.                                                                  I know nothing of a knife, Mr. Holmes.                                          Nothing at all.                                                                 Acid is outside of my understanding. I wouldn't even know where I could         buy an acid, even if my life depended on it!                                    I saw Mr. Boyle nearly every day. He always came to meals late, ate very        quickly, and then either retired to his rooms immediately or left for the       British Museum. I suppose that I had never exchanged more than a few            words of pleasantry during my time there.                                       As I told you before, Piedmont came to me and gave me that box. I took          it, never opened it, and then hid it.                                                                                                                           I found out about his death after everyone else in the house.                   I've never heard of a man named Carr.                                           I had not seen that letter until the Inspector showed it to me. I took          only the slightest notice of it, I was so frightened!                           We've received word that the Cameos have been put up to auction to the          highest bidder.  The newspapers will soon catch wind of this. We've             managed to divert them from their constant enquiries about the post-            poned exhibition. I don't know how long we will have on this one,               though, Sherlock.                                                                                                                                               Our information has it that the gang has placed a deadline for bids for the     25th. That doesn't leave you much time!                                         Martin Shaw is a well-known collector and the majority shareholder in the       Carlton-Star Shipping Lines. We've not known anything negative about the        man.                                                                            We've little on Colonel Moran, save his fame as a Colonel in India and          his exploits as a big-game hunter. I do know that he is a regular at the        Non-Pareil Club in association with some card players there.                    Never heard of the man, Holmes. I've only had two people on staff for a         good many years.                                                                                                                                                I beg you to excuse the untidiness here. About a week and a half ago we         had some trouble. A break-in, of all things! And nothing seems to have          been taken.                                                                                                                                                     Strange!  This continues to perplex me. Why should anyone trouble them-         selves to break-into an establishment and not steal anything?                   We had two passengers on board the Pretoria which, you should know, is a        cargo vessel.                                                                                                                                                   We boarded a Mr. Moriarty while we hove to at Rotterdam and we also took on     a Mr. Augustine at Oporto. Mr. Augustine is with the lines, so it was           normal occasion for us to have him with us. Mr. Moriarty, however, was not      with the Company. We have boarded passengers in the past, but it is not         regular with us.                                                                There were over 300 passengers on the Mary Hamilton, Mr. Holmes! My list is     quite complete, but Company policy forbids that I hand it over to you. Is       there a particular person you are trying to locate? If you can tell me          their name, I can tell you if they appear on my lists.                          Yes, I do have a Mr. Shaw here. Boarded at Halifax, Nova Scotia and dis-        embarked at London on the 10th.                                                 disembarked at London on the 10th.                                              We don't normally sell vitriol to the general public! In fact, all of our       sales of that sort are recorded by customer name and date. I can assure         you that we can account for all of out sales! The register is the final         authority on that!                                                              Here are the entries for April.                                                                                                                                 9 April  -  Dumfrey  Hydr.A. 1/2p                                               11 April -  Dumfrey  Hydr.A. 1/2p                                               14 April -  Jacobs   Nit. Pot  4g                                               19 April -  Carr     Anex Vit  1p                                                                                                                               And that's the lot of'em!                                                       Mr. Dumfrey owns a small metal shop just down the road. He buys the             acids he requires for cleaning and finishing work from us.                      Mr. Jacobs has a physical condition for which this tincture is the only         remedy. We have his physician's note on that.                                   Mr. Carr is a usual customer of ours, although this is the first time that      I can recall having to register a purchase for him.                                                                                                             Usually he is here purchasing a variety of liniments and lotions for his        right leg. Some sort of accident did it in, I believe he told me once.          I've come a long way to see these Cameos, Holmes. I've known about them         for years, but the Vatican has never before allowed an exhibition. When         I read, some months ago, that the National was preparing a world                exhibition, I knew that I would have to be in attendance. For collectors        and appreciative persons like myself, these Cameos represent a unique           place in antiquarian art. I could not miss their display.                       I've been a member of the Non-Pareil for years. Sebastian Moran intro-          duced me to the Club and sponsored my membership.                                                                                                               Whenever I'm in London I must stop there. I have quite an interest in           things other than art, you know. A solid evening of cards can be quite          satisfying, in a number of ways.                                                I've known Moran for years. We met in Africa and continued our                  association, whether in London or by post from Canada.                          My personal collection of antiquities is somewhat smaller than the press        would have you believe. What I may lack in quantity, I certainly believe        I have made up for in quality.                                                  I dabble almost exclusively in small figures and clay figurines of the          early Greek and Roman eras. I really have little use for vases, plates          and pots.                                                                       Pelton seems to be a good enough man - young, eager to work. I would            dare say that he is unlikely to have committed that murder I read about         this morning.                                                                                                                                                   I grant you that I do not know him well, but he certainly has given no          impression about here that he is anything but conscientious and hard-           working. As a matter of fact, he had asked to take several journals home        this paste week-end in order to do some more work with the. You can't           want much more ambition than what's in that lad!                                I've known Pelton since we were high as a shoulder on a lamb, I have!           There's no one aye e'er goin' to be tell'n me that he's some kind of            crazy murderer!                                                                                                                                                 And for money, they say? Nought the boy! I'd seen him when he'd less than       a spit and he nary hard complained, that one. He'd grub worms f'r his           supper afore he'd ask f'r anything. I near had to threaten him to nay           pay me f'r his board. If ye be lookin' for honest on two legs, ye               can't look farther than him!                                                    ->                                                                              I was so taken by the surroundings that I failed to notice the greyhaired       gentlemen sitting in a chaise with a paper across his knee.                                                                                                     'I'm Martin', he said, and stood up to greet us.                                We entered DiSantoro's cabin through the door leading in from the deck.         The room was comfortably appointed and somewhat larger than one might           expect for a vessel whose journey is less than a day!                                                                                                           There was a second door leading into the stateroom, this one coming in          from what appeared to be the side of the room.                                  A single porthole, adjoining the primary entrance, looked out over the deck.    The great soot dappled building that houses Joshua Reynolds & Co. was           located deep in the bowels of the City and not far from the Bank of             England.                                                                        We found our way to the proper office, a small place tucked away in             the depths of the building.  Two or three clerks could be seen busily           addressing some problem or another.  A well dressed gentleman that I took       to be the office manager came out from behind a great desk to meet us.                                                                                          'Good day, gentleman.  My name is Reynolds; Howard Reynolds.  What may I        do for you?'                                                                                                                                                    Conroy lived in a quiet residential suburb of London. The boarding house        where he had rooms appeared to be neatly kept and somewhat comfortable.                                                                                         The landlady opened the door for us and pointed us toward Conroy's rooms.       We took ourselves up the single flight of stairs, came to the room that         was indicated to us, and rapped twice.                                                                                                                          A bright young face, fully freckled and not unintelligent in appearance,        peeked out from the just opened door. We identified ourselves and our           purpose and were quickly ushered into the small, spartan, but                   comfortable room. Conroy sat down opposite us and invited our questions.                                                                                        purpose and were quickly ushered into the small, spartan, but                   comfortable room. Conroy sat down opposite us and invited our questions.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   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