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, followed
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 pla