The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1915-07-03

here. Do you happen to know when 1t
was done or who did it?''
Instead Of making any reply Miss
Rachel went on with her questions as
IL he had not spoken or as If she had
not heard him.
"Are you another police oficer?" she
asked.
81 am Sergeant Cuff. miss. Of the de-
tective police"
"Do you think a young lady's advice
worth havingy'
II shall be glad to hear it, miss"
do your duty by yourself. and don't
allow Mr.. Franklin Blake to help your
She said those words so spitefully, so
s~avagely. with such an extraordinary
outbreak of i'll will toward Mr.. Frank
lin In her voice and her look, that,
though had known her from a baby,
though / loved and honored her next
to my lady herself, l was ashamed of
Miss Rachel for the first time In my
life.
Sergeant Cuffs immovable eyes new
err stirred from off her face. Thank
you. miss" he said. "Do you happen
to know anything about the smear?
Might you have done 1t by accident
yourself?"
81 know nothing about the smear"
With that answer she turned away
and shut herself up again in her bed
room. This time / heard her. as Pc
nelope had heard her before, burst out
crying as soon as she was alone again.
l couldn't bring myself to look at
the sergeant. l looked at Mr.. Frank
lin, who stood nearest TO me. He
seemed to be even more sorely dis
tressed at what had passed than I
was.
"A young lady's tongue is a priv
ileged member, SIR says the sergeant
10 Mr.. Franklin. LET us forget what
has passed and go straight on with
this business. Thanks to you, we know
when the paint vas dry. The next
thing to discover is when the paint
was last seen without that smear. You
have got a head on your shoulders,
and you understand what I mean"
Mr.. Franklin composed himself and
came back with an effort from Miss
Rachel TO the matter in hand.
II think | do understand he said.
THE more we narrow the question of
time the more we also narrow the field
of inquiry
That's II, SIR" said the sergeant.
did you notice your work here on
the Wednesday afternoon after you
had done it,"
Mr.. Franklin shook his head and an
swered, II can't say l did"
did your" inquired Sergeant Cuff,
turning to me.
II can't say l did either, sir"
"Who was the last person in the
room the last thing on Wednesday
night?"
Miss Rachel, l suppose, sir"
Mr.. Franklin struck in there. "Or
possibly your daughter, Betteredge."
He turned to Sergeant Cuff and ex-
planned that my daughter was Miss
Vcrinder's maid.
"Mr. ~Betteredge. ask your daughter
to step up. Stopr" says the sergeant,
taking me away to the window out Of
earshot. "Your superintendent here"
he went on in a whisper, has made a
pretty full report to me of the man.
ner in which he has managed this
case. Among other things he has by
his own confession set the servants
backs up. It's very important to
smooth them down again. Tell your
daughter and tell the rest of them
these two things with my compli-
ments: First, that / have no evidence
before me yet that the diamond has
been stolen. l only know that the
diamond has been lost. Second, that
my business here with the servants Is
simply to ask them to lay their heads
together and help me to find it
My experience of the women serv-
ants. when Superintendent Seegrave
laid his embargo on their rooms, came
in handy here.
"May | make so bold. sergeant, as
to tell the women a third thing?' l
asked. Are they free. with your CON-
pliments, to fidget up and down stairs
and whisk in and out of their bedrooms
If the fit takes them?"
Perfectly free" says the sergeant.
THAT will smooth them down, SIR"
i remarked. from the cook to the
s~cullion."
go and do ii at once. Mr.. Better
edge"
! did 1t in less than hve minutes.
There was only one difficulty when
came to the bit about the bedrooms.