"At present I only know one or two very
vague details. The baron is certainly not her uncle, as he represents
himself to be, but it seems certain that she is the daughter of
Anglo-Russian parents, and was born in Russia and brought to England
when a child."
"But from whom do you expect I can obtain the true facts concerning her,
and the reason of the baron's desire to keep her silent?"
"Ah!" he said, twisting his mustache thoughtfully. "That's just the
question. For a solution of the problem we must first fathom the motive
of the Leithcourts and the reason they fled in fear before that fellow
Chater. That Muriel is innocent of any complicity in their plot,
whatever it may be, I feel convinced. She may be the victim of that
blackleg Woodroffe, who, as Bartlett has told you, is one of the most
expert swindlers in London, and who has already done two terms of penal
servitude."
"But what was the motive in breaking open the Consul's safe, if not to
obtain the Foreign Office or Admiralty ciphers? Perhaps they wanted to
steal them and sell them to a foreign government?"
"No; that was not their object.
Pages:
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393
394
395
396
397
398
399
400
401
402
403
404
405
406
407