“You think he had them on him?”

“I’m sure he had them on him!” asserted Fullaway.  He, in his turn, began to produce papers.  “At any rate, he had them on him when he was in Christiania the other day.  He was bringing them over here—­to me.”

“On whose behalf?” asked Allerdyke.

“On behalf of a Russian lady, a Princess, who wished to find a purchaser for them,” replied the American promptly.

“In that case—­to come to the point,” said Allerdyke, “if my cousin James had that property on him when he landed here last night and it wasn’t—­as it certainly wasn’t—­on him when I found him this morning—–­he’s been robbed?”

“Robbed—­and murdered that he might be robbed!” answered Fullaway.

The two men looked steadily at each other for a while.  Then Allerdyke laid his papers on the table between them.

“You’d better tell me all you know about it,” he said quietly.  “Let’s hear it all—­then we shall be getting towards knowing what to do.”

“Willingly!” exclaimed the American.  He produced and spread out a couple of cablegrams on which he laid a hand while he talked.  “As I have already said, I have had several deals in business with Mr. James Allerdyke.  I last saw him towards the end of March, in town, and he then mentioned to me that he was just about setting out for Russia.  On April 20th I received this cable from him—­sent, you see, from St. Petersburg.  Allow me to read it to you.  He says.  ’The Princess Nastirsevitch is anxious to find purchaser for her jewels, valued more than once at about a quarter of million pounds.  Wants money to clear off mortgages on her son’s estate, and set him going again.  Do you know of any one likely to buy in one lot?  Can arrange to bring over myself for buyers’ inspection if chance of immediate good sale.  James Allerdyke.’  Now, as soon as I received that from your cousin I immediately thought of a possible and very likely purchaser—­Mr. Delkin, a Chicago man, whose only daughter is just about to marry an English nobleman.  I knew that Mr. Delkin had a mind to give his daughter a really fine collection of jewels, and I went at once to him regarding the matter.  In consequence of my interview with Mr. Delkin, I cabled to James Allerdyke on April 21st, saying—­”

“This is it, no doubt,” said Allerdyke, producing the message of the date mentioned.

“That is it,” assented Fullaway, glancing across the table.  “Very well, you see what I said.  He replied to that at once—­here is his reply.  It is, you see, very brief.  It merely says, ’All right—­shall wire details later—­keep possible buyer on.’  I heard no more until last Thursday, May 8th, when I received this cablegram, sent, you see, from Christiania.  In it he says:  ’Expect reach Hull Monday night next.  Shall come London next day.  Arrange meeting with your man.  Have got all goods.’  Now those last four words, Mr. Allerdyke, if they mean anything at all, mean that your cousin was bringing these valuable jewels with him; had them on him when he cabled from Christiania.  And if you did not find them when you searched him—­where are they?  Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds’ worth!”