o pawned the Diamond. That person, you may rely on it, is
responsible (I don't pretend to know how) for the position in which
you stand at this moment; and that person alone can set you right in
Rachel's estimation."

"I can't deny," I said, "that the plan you propose meets the difficulty
in a way that is very daring, and very ingenious, and very new. But----"

"But you have an objection to make?"

"Yes. My objection is, that your proposal obliges us to wait."

"Granted. As I reckon the time, it requires you to wait about a
fortnight--more or less. Is that so very long?"

"It's a life-time, Mr. Bruff, in such a situation as mine. My existence
will be simply unendurable to me, unless I do something towards clearing
my character at once."

"Well, well, I understand that. Have you thought yet of what you can
do?"

"I have thought of consulting Sergeant Cuff."

"He has retired from the police. It's useless to expect the Sergeant to
help you."

"I know where to find him; and I can but try."

"Try," said Mr. Bruff, after a moment's consideration. "The case has
assumed such an extraordinary aspect since Sergeant Cuff's time, that
you may revive his interest in the inquiry. Try, and let me hear
the result. In the meanwhile," he continued, rising, "if you make no
discoveries between this, and the end of the month, am I free to try, on
my side, what can be done by keeping a lookout at the bank?"

"Certainly," I answered--"unless I relieve you of all necessity for
trying the experiment in the interval."

Mr. Bruff smiled, and took up his hat.

"Tell Sergeant Cuff," he rejoined, "that I say the discovery of the
truth depends on the discovery of the person who pawned the Diamond. And
let me hear what the Sergeant's experience says to that."

So we parted.

Early the next morning, I set forth for the little town of Dorking--the
place of Sergeant Cuff's retirement, as indicated to me by Betteredge.

Inquiring at the hotel, I received the necessary directions for finding
the Sergeant's cottage. It was approached by a quiet bye-road, a little
way out of the town, and it stood snugly in the middle of its own plot
of garden ground, protected by a good brick wall at the back and the
sides, and by a high quickset hedge in front. The gate, ornamented
at the upper part by smartly-painted trellis-work, was locked. After
ringing at the bell, I peered through the trellis-work, and saw the
great Cuff's favourite flower everywh