ight! Don't ask me. I give it up. Let's all have a drink,
and then adjourn somewhere else. The air is getting kind of close in
here, after all these hot accusations. Harrigan," the Earl added,
turning to the butler, who had just returned from the corridor, "pour
us out one or two glasses of wine, or three or four of them. Drink up,
gentlemen,--you, too, Letstrayed." And the Earl winked at me.

CHAPTER VII

After we had all imbibed freely of the blood of the grape the Earl
then led the way out to the front door. Inspector Letstrayed seemed to
have something in his noodle, and after much cogitation he finally
came out with it.

"Er, Hi say, Mr. 'Olmes," he blurted out, "you have forgotten to
search any of the servants, to see whether or not they have the
diamond cuff-buttons concealed about their persons, doncherknow."

"Say, Letstrayed, for the love of Mike, don't interrupt me again with
your well-meant but rattle-headed advice, or I'll be liable to forget
myself and commit murder on the premises. I'm running this show, not
you,--gol darn it!" And Holmes ground his teeth as he added: "The idea
of Letstrayed being chump enough to think that the servants, if they
have stolen the diamonds, would risk discovery so boldly as to carry
them around with them!--and besides, the village constables searched
them yesterday. It's a cinch he owes his appointment as Inspector at
Scotland Yard to a political pull, and not to his merit!"

The sky looked rather changeable as we all passed out by the great
main entrance of Normanstow Towers, and went down the broad stone
stairway to the lawn, alternately clouding over and then letting the
fugitive April sun shine through.

"Ah, fickle Springtime, it's just like a woman!" said Uncle Tooter,
with a deep-drawn sigh that must have come all the way up from his
boots.

"Well, what's eating _him_, the old duffer, I wonder?" growled Holmes.
"Is he falling in love, at his age?"

"He's dippy over that Spanish maid, Teresa Olivano, and I hear that
she has refused him twice," whispered the Earl so that only Holmes and
myself could hear him.

"For Heaven's sake, don't mention it in the Countess's hearing,
because she's simply wild over her bachelor uncle being in love with a
servant, both on account of the social disgrace, and because, if Uncle
Tooter married Teresa, she and I would lose a large part of the
inheritance that we expect when the old boy finally cashes in. He's
worth ov