The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-06-26

her. The matron at the reformatory
had reported her to my lady as a sim
cerely penitent and thoroughly trust
worthy girl. 1t was the superintend-
ent's business to discover reason for
s~uspecting her first-and then, and not
till then. 1t would be my duty to tell
him how she came into my lady's serv-
ice. "All u people have excellent
characters / said. "And all have de-
served the trust their mistress has plac-
ed In them" After that there was but
n thing left for Mr.. S~eegrave to do
namely, to set to work and tackle the
servants characters himself.
One after another they were exam.
ined. One after another they proved
to have nothing to say-and said it, so
far as the were concerned, at
great length and with a very angry
sense of the embargo laid on their bed
rooms. The rest of them being sent
back to their places downstairs, Pencil
ope was then summoned and exam
ined separately a second time.
My daughters little outbreak of tenn
per in the ''boudoir' and her readiness
to think herself suspected appeared to
have produced an ~unfavorable impress
sion on Superintendent Seegrave. 1t
seemed also to dwell a little on his
mind that she had been the last person
who saw the diamond at night. When
the second questioning was over my
girl came back to me in a frenzy.
There was no doubt of 1t any longer
the police officer had almost as good
as told her she was the thief! l could
scarcely believe him, taking Mr.. Frank
Inns view, to be quite such an ass as
that. But, though he said nothing, the
eye with which he looked at my daugh-
ter was not a pleasant eye TO see. /
laughed 1t off with poor Penelope as
something too ridiculous to be treated
seriously-which 1t certainly was. Sc
cretly l am afraid l was foolish enough
to be angry too.
The next and last step in the investi-
cation brought matters. as they say, to
a crisis. The officer had an interview,
at which / was present, with my lady.
After informing her that the diamond
must have been taken by somebody in
the house he requested permission for
himself and his men to search the serv-
ants rooms and boxes on the spot. My
good mistress, like the generous, high
bred woman she was, refused TO let us
be treated like thieves. II will never
consent to make such a return as that"
she said, "for all l owe to the faithful
servants who are employed in my
house."
AS head Of the servants / felt direct
ly that we were bound, in justice to all
parties, not to profit by our mistress
generosity. I'VE gratefully thank your
ladyship," l said, "but we ask permits
ton to do what is right in this matter
by giving up u keys. When Gabriel
B~etteredge sets the example," says l,
stopping Superintendent Seegrave Mt
the door. "the rest of the servants will
follow. / promise you. There are my
keys. to begin with" My lady took
me by the hand and thanked me with
the tears in her eyes. Lord, what
would | not have given at that mo-
ment for the privilege of knocking SUI
perintendent Seegrave down.
AS l had promised for them, the 9th
er servants followed my lead.
The search over and no diamond or
sign of a diamond being found, of
course, anywhere, Superintendent See
grave retired to my little room to con-
slider with himself what he was to do
next.
While the police officer was still pom
dering in solitude / was sen for to see
Mr.. Franklin in the library. To my
unutterable establishment, just as my
hand was on the door it was suddenly
opened from the inside, and out walk
ed Rosanna Spearman.
After the library had been swept and
cleaned in the morning neither first nor
second housemaid had any business in
that room at any later period of the
day. l stopped Rosanna Spearman and
charged her with a breach of domestic
discipline on the spot.
"Mr. Franklin Blake dropped one OF
His rings upstairs" says Rosanna, and
1 have been into the library to give 1T
to him." The girls face was all in a
flush as she made me that answer. and
she walked away with a toss of her
head and a look of self Importance
which I was quite at a loss to account
for.
l found Mr.. Franklin writing at the
library table. He asked for a convey
ance to the railway station the mo-
ment / entered the room.
.Go;ng 20 7 ondon sir ~ / asked.