o be rather unreasonable,
don't you think?"

Holmes didn't reply, but stood there contemplating the great piles of
hay and straw in silent wrath, while the hidden Budd was probably
smiling to himself somewhere underneath. Lord Launcelot, who was
watching the chagrined expression on Holmes's face, leaned back
against the wall and said:

"Oh, Gee! I have to laugh! This is the funniest thing I've seen for a
long time!"

"It is, eh?" shouted Holmes, dashing at Launcelot. "Now, you beat it!
You've been warned before not to interrupt while I'm thinking."

And he grabbed Launcelot by the arm and hustled him down the stairs,
then returned and faced the Earl.

"Well, it would certainly be an endless job to try to dig Budd out of
all this hay, Your Lordship," he said, "so we'll adopt some strategy,
and starve him out. We'll have Inspector Letstrayed watch the loft
here at the head of the stairs, as I see this is the only way out,
have his dinner brought to him this evening, while he stands guard,
and then I'll stand guard through the night, for I can keep awake
better than Fatty can. Then we'll keep up the sentinel business all
day to-morrow, if necessary, Letstrayed and I relieving each other,
till we finally force that robber to come out and beg for food,--when
we'll nab him! How does that sound for a scheme?"

"It listens well, Holmes,--that is, if Letstrayed doesn't make a mess
of it," said the Earl musingly.

"Woe to him if he does, I can tell you." And Holmes glared at the
obese inspector, who sat on the top step trying to get his breath back
after the hard race out from the castle. "But then, I don't see how he
can. Right here is the only place where Budd could get out, and I'll
give Letstrayed my revolver to use instead of his own, since mine is a
little bit quicker on the trigger. Here, Barney," he added as he
turned to the Inspector, "take my six-shooter, and I'll take yours.
Now see that you don't spill the beans, like you've done before, and
stand guard faithfully this afternoon till six o'clock, when we'll
bring your dinner out to you, and if William X. Budd tries to break
away from under the horse-feed, why, you know what to do with your
little cannon there!"

"Well, all right, fellows, I'll be the goat if you'll send down to the
village and telegraph in to headquarters in London now, telling them
where I am. Say, Earl, haven't you got a pack of cigarettes about your
person that isn't working?" asked Lets