I showed Sergeant Cuff into my own room, and then called the servants together in the hall. Rosanna Spearman appeared among them, much as usual. She was as quick in her way as the Sergeant in his, and I suspect she had heard what he said to me about the servants in general, just before he discovered her. There she was, at any rate, looking as if she had never heard of such a place as the shrubbery in her life.

I sent them in, one by one, as desired. The cook was the first to enter the Court of Justice, otherwise my room. She remained but a short time. Report, on coming out: `Sergeant Cuff is depressed in his spirits; but Sergeant Cuff is a perfect gentleman.' My lady's own maid followed. Remained much longer. Report, on coming out: `If Sergeant Cuff doesn't believe a respectable woman, he might keep his opinion to himself, at any rate!' Penelope went next. Remained only a moment or two. Report, on coming out: `Sergeant Cuff is much to be pitied. He must have been crossed in love, father, when he was a young man.' The first housemaid followed Penelope. Remained, like my lady's maid, a long time. Report, on coming out: `I didn't enter her ladyship's service, Mr. Betteredge, to be doubted to my face by a low police-officer!' Rosanna Spearman went next. Remained longer than any of them. No report on coming out--dead silence, and lips as pale as ashes. Samuel, the footman, following Rosanna. Remained a minute or two. Report, on coming out: `Whoever blacks Sergeant Cuff's boots ought to be ashamed of himself.' Nancy, the kitchen- maid, went last. Remained a minute or two. Report, on coming out: `Sergeant Cuff has a heart; he doesn't cut jokes, Mr. Betteredge, with a poor hard-working girl.'

Going into the Court of Justice, when it was all over, to hear if there were any further commands for me, I found the Sergeant at his old trick--looking out of window, and whistling `The Last Rose of Summer' to himself.

`Any discoveries, sir?' I inquired.

`If Rosanna Spearman asks leave to go out,' said the Sergeant, `let the poor thing go; but let me know first.'

I might as well have held my tongue about Rosanna and Mr. Franklin! It was plain enough; the unfortunate girl had fallen under Sergeant Cuff's suspicions, in spite of all I could do to prevent it.

`I hope you don't think Rosanna is concerned in the loss of the Diamond?' I ventured to say.

The corners of the Sergeant's melancholy mouth curled up, and he looked hard in my face, just as he had looked in the garden.

`I think I had better not tell you, Mr. Betteredge,' he said. `You might lose your head, you know, for the second time.'

I began to doubt whether I had been one too many for the celebrated Cuff, after all! It was rather a relief to me that we were interrupted here by a knock at the door, and a message from the cook. Rosanna Spearman had asked to go out, for the usual reason, that her head was bad, and she wanted a breath of fresh air. At a sign from the Sergeant, I said, Yes. `Which is the servants' way out?' he asked, when the messenger had gone. I showed him the servants' way out. `Lock the door of your room,' says the Sergeant; `and if anybody asks for me, say I'm in there, composing my mind.' He curled up again at the corners of the lips, and disappeared.

Left alone, under those circumstances, a devouring curiosity pushed me on to make some discoveries for myself.

It was plain that Sergeant Cuff's suspicions of Rosanna had been roused by something that he had found out at his examination of the servants in my room. Now, the only two servants (excepting Rosanna herself) who had remained under examination for any length of time, were my lady's own maid and the first housemaid, those two being also the women who had taken the lead in persecuting their unfortunate


  By PanEris using Melati.

Previous chapter/page Back Home Email this Search Discuss Bookmark Next chapter/page
Copyright: All texts on Bibliomania are © Bibliomania.com Ltd, and may not be reproduced in any form without our written permission. See our FAQ for more details.