第46章

he went on, in a whisper, `has made a pretty full report to me of the manner in which he has managed this case.Among other things, he has, by his own confession, set the servants' backs up.It's very important to smooth them down again.Tell your daughter, and tell the rest of them, these two things, with my compliments.First, that I have no evidence before me, yet, that the Diamond has been stolen; I only know that the Diamond has been lost.

Second, that my business here with the servants is simply to ask them to lay their heads together and help me to find it.'

My experience of the women-servants, when Superintendent Seegrave laid his embargo on their rooms, came in handy here.

`May I make so bold, Sergeant, as to tell the women a third thing?'

I asked.`Are they free (with your compliments) to fidget up and downstairs, and whisk in and out of their bedrooms, if the fit takes them?'

`Perfectly free,' said the Sergeant.

` That will smooth them down, sir,' I remarked, `from the cook to the scullion.'

`Go, and do it at once, Mr.Betteredge.'

I did it in less than five minutes.There was only one difficulty when I came to the bit about the bedrooms.It took a pretty stiff exertion of my authority, as chief, to prevent the whole of the female household from following me and Penelope upstairs, in the character of volunteer witnesses in a burning fever of anxiety to help Sergeant Cuff.

The Sergeant seemed to approve of Penelope.He became a trifle less dreary; and he looked much as he had looked when he noticed the white musk rose in the flower garden.Here is my daughter's evidence, as drawn off from her by the Sergeant.She gave it, I think, very prettily--but, there!

she is my child all over: nothing of her mother in her; Lord bless you, nothing of her mother in her!

Penelope examined: Took a lively interest in the painting on the door, having helped to mix the colours.Noticed the bit of work under the lock, because it was the last bit done.Had seen it, some hours afterwards, without a smear.Had left it, as late as twelve at night, without a smear.Had, at that hour, wished her young lady good night in the bedroom; had heard the clock strike in the `boudoir'; had her hand at the time on the handle of the painted door; knew the paint was wet (having helped to mix the colours, as aforesaid); took particular pains not to touch it; could swear that she held up the skirts of her dress, and that there was no smear on the paint then; could not swear that her dress mightn't have touched it accidentally in going out; remembered the dress she had on, because it was new, a present from Miss Rachel; her father remembered, and could speak to it, too; could, and would, and did fetch it; dress recognized by her father as the dress she wore that night; skirts examined, a long job from the size of them; not the ghost of a paint-stain discovered anywhere.

End of Penelope's evidence--and very pretty and convincing, too.Signed, Gabriel Betteredge.

The Sergeant's next proceeding was to question me about any large dogs in the house who might have got into the room, and done the mischief with a whisk of their tails.Hearing that this was impossible, he next sent for a magnifying-glass, and tried how the smear looked, seen that way.