his morning, and that she
should have had some conversation with Mr. Joseph Chestermarke before
she went. Really, one dislikes to have to say it of one's neighbours,
and of persons of the standing of the Chestermarkes, but their behaviour
is--is----"

"Suspicious, my lord, suspicious!" said Polke. "There's no denying it.
And yet, they're what you might call so defiant, so brazen-faced and
insolent, that----"

"Here's your London man," interrupted the Earl. "What is he after now?"

Starmidge came out of the door of the bank-house alone. He caught sight
of Polke and Lord Ellersdeane, smiled, and hurried towards them. He
carried something loosely wrapped in brown paper in his hand; as he
stepped into the doorway of the club-house, he took the wrapping off,
and showed a small morocco-covered box on which was a coronet in gold.

"Does your lordship recognize that?" he asked.

"My wife's jewel-casket, of course!" exclaimed the Earl. "Of course it
is! Bless me!--where did you find it?"

"In the chimney, in Mrs. Carswell's bedroom," answered Starmidge, with a
grimace at Polke. "It's empty!"

Chapter XIII

THE PARTNERS UNBEND

The Earl took the empty casket from the detective's hand and looked at
it, inside and outside, with doubt and wonder.

"Now what do you take this to mean?" he asked.

"That we've got three people to find, instead of two, my lord," answered
Starmidge promptly. "We must be after the housekeeper."

"You found this in her room?" asked Polke. "So--you went up there?"

"As soon as you'd left me," replied the detective, with a shrewd smile.
"Of course! I wanted to have a look round. I didn't forget the chimney.
She'd put that behind the back of the grate--a favourite hiding-place. I
say she--but, of course, some one else may have put it there. Still--we
must find her. You telephoned to the police at Ecclesborough,
superintendent?"

"Ay, and got small comfort!" answered Polke. "It's a stiff job looking
for one woman amongst half a million people."

"She wouldn't stop in Ecclesborough," said Starmidge. "She'll be on her
way further afield, now. You can get anywhere from Ecclesborough, of
course."

"Of course!" assented Polke. "She would be in any one of half a dozen
big towns within a couple of hours--in some of 'em within an hour--in
London itself within three. This'll be another case of printing a
description. I wish we'd thought of keeping an eye on her before!"

"We haven't got to