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tales. Rachel Howells is clearly telling us so. We are dealing here not with enemies but with friends!” He paused and shook his head in comic disbelief. “What a coup-de-maître it is! I once had occasion to chide you, Watson, in connection with the Vermissa Valley murders in America I think, for suggesting that the recreant Porlock might possibly have enclosed both cipher and key in the same envelope. In that instance we were able to decipher the message by recourse to Whitaker’s Almanack. Here we have no such advantage. The sender of this envelope has outdone even Porlock: she has combined not only the cipher and its key but the addresser of the message – her surrogates – and its true addressees, myself and the estate of Hurlstone, not in, but actually on, the envelope – leaving the contents blank! There is brilliance here, Watson – scheming, calculated brilliance!”

Musgrave and I were at a loss for words. He appeared as stupefied as I.

“Clearly, we must make contact with these ‘stormy petrels’,” said Holmes to me, briskly breaking the silence. “We must seek them in their haunts. Our enquiries must be made in Canada.

“We know,” I interjected, “that at least one of them is a lady of Welsh origin, fiery, passionate and excitable.!”

“Yes, indeed,” Holmes replied, his eyes atwinkle. “Well, Watson, what say you to a visit to the Pacific coast? Could your practice spare you for some weeks?”

“I have no doubt I can arrange it,” said I, “but what will be our aim? To identify and arrest Howells?”

“As I read it, Rachel Howells is at present waiting anxiously in British Columbia for news of our discovery of the royal orb and sceptre, to which she has, using this flock of petrels as her unwitting agents, effectively laid claim. When she hears of it she will act. She will persuade the group to demand delivery of the treasure, probably by authorizing her to make the arrangements on their behalf. The claim of these petrels cannot be denied but it is within our power to thwart Howells herself.”

“How?”

“By delaying announcement of our finding of the treasure until we can cause her arrest. You, I and Musgrave here are the only persons who know of it Musgrave, you will, I think, find it in your interests to fall in with our plans; this will give us time to visit and confront these people. Our information will startle them: that they have claim to the crown jewels of England – and a murderess in their midst! Courtesy, no less than common sense and common justice, demands delivery of such a message in person.”

“It will be most dramatic,” said I. “But what of the murderess herself? Shall we arrest her in front of her comrades?”

Holmes thought for a moment. “She must be given every opportunity to state her position. She may possibly give us facts of which we are unaware. But then we must act decisively.”

“She will not be the first murderess we have apprehended,” I observed, “nor will it be the first time we have acted as both judge and jury.”

“No, indeed! And here I foresee no difficulty. I will take with me to Canada a copy of the Hurlstone’s village news sheet giving details of her disappearance. It carries an excellent likeness of Howells. Identifying the lady, despite the passage of some twenty years, should be a simple matter.”

“With Howells removed to a barred cell,” said I, “these stormy petrels will be free to pursue their claim to the Hurlstone jewels directly with Nathanial Musgrave. That seems appropriate.”

“I agree,” interjected the master of Hurlstone.

“Quite so, and I feel inclined to render them every assistance,” said Holmes. “A group of your readers in the New World deserves our support, Watson!”

“And so say all of us!” I replied heartily. “Perhaps we should take with us your book on international law – De Jure inter Gentes, as I recall. It might prove useful in effecting delivery of the jewels to these Canadians.”

“From what little I know of British Columbia The Origins of Tree Worship might be a volume of more interest to them,” suggested Holmes, his expression one of high good humour.

“At the risk of re-creating