ing informed,
half an hour since, that her departure would be delayed till two in the
afternoon, she had flown into a violent passion. My lady, present at the
time, had severely rebuked her, and then (having apparently something
to say, which was reserved for her daughter's private ear) had sent
Penelope out of the room. My girl was in wretchedly low spirits about
the changed state of things in the house. "Nothing goes right,
father; nothing is like what it used to be. I feel as if some dreadful
misfortune was hanging over us all."

That was my feeling too. But I put a good face on it, before my
daughter. Miss Rachel's bell rang while we were talking. Penelope ran
up the back stairs to go on with the packing. I went by the other way to
the hall, to see what the glass said about the change in the weather.

Just as I approached the swing-door leading into the hall from the
servants' offices, it was violently opened from the other side, and
Rosanna Spearman ran by me, with a miserable look of pain in her face,
and one of her hands pressed hard over her heart, as if the pang was in
that quarter. "What's the matter, my girl?" I asked, stopping her. "Are
you ill?" "For God's sake, don't speak to me," she answered, and twisted
herself out of my hands, and ran on towards the servants' staircase. I
called to the cook (who was within hearing) to look after the poor girl.
Two other persons proved to be within hearing, as well as the cook.
Sergeant Cuff darted softly out of my room, and asked what was the
matter. I answered, "Nothing." Mr. Franklin, on the other side, pulled
open the swing-door, and beckoning me into the hall, inquired if I had
seen anything of Rosanna Spearman.

"She has just passed me, sir, with a very disturbed face, and in a very
odd manner."

"I am afraid I am innocently the cause of that disturbance, Betteredge."

"You, sir!"

"I can't explain it," says Mr. Franklin; "but, if the girl IS concerned
in the loss of the Diamond, I do really believe she was on the point of
confessing everything--to me, of all the people in the world--not two
minutes since."

Looking towards the swing-door, as he said those last words, I fancied I
saw it opened a little way from the inner side.

Was there anybody listening? The door fell to, before I could get to it.
Looking through, the moment after, I thought I saw the tails of Sergeant
Cuff's respectable black coat disappearing round the corner of the
passage. He knew,