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 the stage where we can think of everything," observed Starmidge. "We've got to take things as they come. Well—there's one thing can be done now," he went on, looking at the Earl, "if your lordship'll be kind enough to do it."
"I'll do anything that I can," replied Lord Ellersdeane. "What is it?"