a quilted
handkerchief case.

"There's something been sewn into the padding of this!" she said. "I can
feel it. Can any one lend me pocket-scissors or a penknife?"

The men gathered round as Celia's deft fingers ripped open the satin
covering: a moment later she drew out a wad of folded paper and handed it
to the chief. Fullaway and Allerdyke craned their necks over his
shoulders as he unwrapped and spread the bits of paper out before them.
And it was Fullaway who broke the silence with a sharp exclamation.

"Bank-notes!" he said. "Russian bank-notes! And new ones!"

CHAPTER XII

THE THIRD MURDER

Fullaway's exclamation was followed by a murmur of astonishment from
Celia, and by a low growl which meant many things from Allerdyke. The
chief turned the banknotes over silently, moved to his desk, and picked
up a reference book.

"I'm not very familiar with Russian money--paper or otherwise," he
remarked. "How much does this represent in ours, now?"

"I can tell you that," said Fullaway, taking the wad of notes and rapidly
counting them. "Five hundred pounds English," he announced. "And you see
that all the notes are new--don't forget to note that."

"Yes?--what do you argue from it?" asked the chief, with obvious
interest. "It proves--what?"

"That these notes were given to this woman in Russia, recently--most
likely in St. Petersburg," replied the American. "And, in my opinion,
their presence--their discovery--proves more. It suggests at any rate
that this woman, the dead maid, was a tool in the conspiracy to rob Miss
Lennard and Mr. James Allerdyke, that this money is her reward, or part
of it, and that the whole scheme was hatched and engineered in Russia."

"Good!" muttered Allerdyke. "Now we're getting to business."

"We shall have to get some evidence from Russia," observed the chief
meditatively. "That's very evident. If the thing began there, or was put
into active shape there--"

"The Princess Nastirsevitch is on her way now," said Fullaway. He pulled
out his pocket-book, and began searching amongst its papers. "Here you
are," he continued producing a cablegram. "That's from the Princess--you
see she says she's leaving for London at once, via Berlin and Calais, and
will call upon me at my hotel as soon as she arrives. Now, that was sent
off two days ago--she'd leave St. Petersburg that night. It's seventy-two
hours' journey--three days. She'll be in London tomorrow evening."

The chief sa