“All about the Hull affair and the Lennard affair, I took that to mean from your account,” remarked Appleyard.  “If she’s his confidential secretary, with access to his papers and business, she’d know all about the Princess transaction.  Now, of course, an inquiry or two of the usual sort would satisfy you about Fullaway—­I mean as a business man.  An inquiry or two would tell you all about Delkin.  But you can’t get to know all about Mrs. Marlow from any inquiry.  And you can’t find out all about Fullaway from any inquiry.  He may be the straightest business man in all London—­and yet have a finger in this pie, and his secretary with him.  Two hundred and fifty thousand pounds’ worth of jewels, Mr. Allerdyke, is—­a temptation!  And—­these folks knew the jewels were on the way.  What’s more, they’d time to intercept their bearer—­Mr. James.”

Allerdyke rubbed his chin and knitted his brows in obvious bewilderment.  “There must ha’ been more than them in at it,” he said musingly.  “A regular gang of ’em, judging by results.”

“Every gang has its ganger,” replied Appleyard, with a knowing smile.  “There’s no doubt this is a big thing—­but there must be a central point, a head, a controlling authority in it.  We come back, you see, after all, to where we started—­these people were the only people in England who knew about these jewels, so far as we know.”

“Aye, but only so far as we know,” said Allerdyke.  “There may have been others.  There may have been folks who got to know about them over there in Russia and who communicated their knowledge to some folks here.  And there’s always this to be borne in mind—­the affair, the plot, may have been originated there, and worked from there.  Remember that!”

“Quite so—­and you can’t decide on anything relating to that until this Princess comes,” agreed Appleyard.  “It’ll have to rest till you’ve heard all she has to say, and then you’ll know where you are.  But in the meantime you can find out a bit about Fullaway and this millionaire man—­I can find out for you, if you like, in a few hours.”

“Do, my lad!” said Allerdyke.  “It’s always well to know who you’re dealing with.  Aye—­make an inquiry or two.”

“But remember that all I can inquire about will be in the ordinary business way,” continued Appleyard.  “I can ascertain if there is a Delkin in town, who’s a Chicago millionaire, and if Fullaway’s a reputable business man—­but that’ll be all.  As to the secretary, I can’t do anything.”

“I’ll keep an eye on her myself,” said Allerdyke.  “Well, do this, then, and let me know the results.  I’ve put up at the Waldorf, and there I shall stop while all this is being investigated here in London, but I shall pop in and out here, of course.  And now I’ll go back there and find out if there’s any fresh news from the police or from Hull.  I reckon there’ll be some fine reading in the newspapers in a day or two, Ambler—­it’ll all have to come out now.”