“...Remember that the late Duke was Under-Secretary of Foreign Affairs. It is of great importance for the government that copies of documents and notes, the originals of which are under state protection, are not disclosed. There are many reasons why a person in the Duke's position might keep certain documents. At one time completely harmless, they can, in the changed circumstances of subsequent years, acquire very great significance, especially from the point of view of a foreign and, moreover, hostile state. And now the unfortunate duchess is faced with a choice: either treason, for which she will be given the certificate of her husband’s first marriage, or complete ruin and death of two completely innocent women, one of whom is on the eve of the wedding. And the whole point is, Watson, that I am powerless to help them...”