CHAPTER XXII
HILDA GLAUM LEADS THE WAY
Beale had a long consultation with McNorton at Scotland Yard, and on his return to the hotel, had his dinner sent up to Kitson's private room and dined amidst a litter of open newspapers. They were representative journals of the past week, and he scanned their columns carefully. Now and again he would cut out a paragraph and in one case half a column.
Kitson, who was dining with a friend in the restaurant of the hotel, came up toward nine o'clock and stood looking with amusement at the detective's silent labours.
"You're making a deplorable litter in my room," he said, "but I suppose there is something very mysterious and terrible behind it all. Do you mind my reading your cuttings?"
"Go ahead," said Beale, without raising his eyes from his newspaper.
Kitson took up a slip and read aloud:
"The reserves of the Land Bank of the Ukraine have been increased by ten million roubles. This increase has very considerably eased the situation in Southern Ukraine and in Galicia, where there has been considerable unrest amongst the peasants due to the high cost of textiles."
"That is fascinating news," said Kitson sardonically. "Are you running a scrap-book on high finance?"
"No," said the other shortly, "the Land Bank is a Loan Bank. It finances peasant proprietors."