rest of the cuff-buttons are found. Do you know
anything about them?"

"Not a thing, Mr. Holmes,--not a t'ing. The only one Ay saw is das one
you captured now," replied Olaf.

Holmes marched his captive into the library, where the Earl and
Thorneycroft, who had been sitting down at the table going over some
bills and other papers, jumped up in surprise at the sight of us;
while Holmes informed them of his identity beneath the race-track
disguise. Thorneycroft turned pale when he saw his recent accomplice,
Olaf Yensen, in the hands of the avenging detective, and he had to
grab the edge of the table to steady himself.

"Your Lordship, here is the first one of the diamond cuff-buttons
recovered for you, with my compliments," said Holmes triumphantly,
laying the gem on the table before the astonished Earl. "Your coachman
is not really the thief,--only a receiver of stolen goods.
Thorneycroft," he added, as he turned to the latter, "the game is up!
I'm onto you! You stole the cuff-button and gave it to Olaf to hide
for you, and William X. Budd knows where the rest are, and you
probably do, too. Now make a clean breast of it, and avoid further
trouble."

My partner seated himself in one of the leather easy-chairs, lit a
cigarette, crossed his legs comfortably, and listened while the
confused and guilty secretary tried to find his voice. The Earl sat
down hard in another chair and listened with all his ears.

CHAPTER XI

"Er, er,--oh, this is terrible! Billie Budd stole 'em, not me. He came
into my room early Monday morning, while I was dressing, and showed me
the pair of cuff-buttons he said he had stolen during Sunday night,
and gave me one to keep for him until he had a good chance to dispose
of it. Then, right after I returned from calling on you to inform you
of their loss, which was about half-past ten, he and I went out to the
stables and he gave the other one to Olaf here to hide for him. Here's
the one I have been keeping, Mr. Holmes," stammered Thorneycroft, as
he took the second sparkling cuff-button out of his vest-pocket and
laid it on the table beside the one recovered from Olaf. "When the
village constables came up here to search us, I simply slipped the
thing into the upper edge of my shoe until they had gone, and I've
been carrying it here in my vest-pocket ever since."

And Eustace paused as he drew out his handkerchief and mopped his
perspiring face.

"Then you had it right with you when y