"Curious! She looked well enough when I saw her last," I remarked.

Penelope followed me out. "Don't talk in that way before the rest of

them, father," she said. "You only make them harder on Rosanna than

ever. The poor thing is breaking her heart about Mr. Franklin Blake."

Here was another view of the girl's conduct. If it was possible for

Penelope to be right, the explanation of Rosanna's strange language and

behaviour might have been all in this--that she didn't care what she

said, so long as she could surprise Mr. Franklin into speaking to her.

Granting that to be the right reading of the riddle, it accounted,

perhaps, for her flighty, self-conceited manner when she passed me in

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the hall. Though he had only said three words, still she had carried her

point, and Mr. Franklin had spoken to her.

I saw the pony harnessed myself. In the infernal network of mysteries

and uncertainties that now surrounded us, I declare it was a relief to

observe how well the buckles and straps understood each other! When you

had seen the pony backed into the shafts of the chaise, you had seen

something there was no doubt about. And that, let me tell you, was

becoming a treat of the rarest kind in our household.

Going round with the chaise to the front door, I found not only Mr.

Franklin, but Mr. Godfrey and Superintendent Seegrave also waiting for

me on the steps.

Mr. Superintendent's reflections (after failing to find the Diamond in

the servants' rooms or boxes) had led him, it appeared, to an entirely

new conclusion. Still sticking to his first text, namely, that somebody

in the house had stolen the jewel, our experienced officer was now of the

opinion that the thief (he was wise enough not to name poor Penelope,

whatever he might privately think of her!) had been acting in concert

with the Indians; and he accordingly proposed shifting his inquiries to

the jugglers in the prison at Frizinghall. Hearing of this new move, Mr.

Franklin had volunteered to take the Superintendent back to the town,

from which he could telegraph to London as easily as from our station.

Mr. Godfrey, still devoutly believing in Mr. Seegrave, and greatly

interested in witnessing the examination of the Indians, had begged

leave to accompany the officer to Frizinghall. One of the two inferior

policemen was to be left at the house, in case anything happened. The

other was to go back with the Superintendent to the town. So the four

places in the pony-chaise were just filled.

Before he took the reins to drive off, Mr. Franklin walked me away a few

steps out of hearing of the others.

"I will wait to telegraph to London," he said, "till I see what comes

of our examination of the Indians. My own conviction is, that this

muddle-headed local police-officer is as much in the dark as ever, and

is simply trying to gain time. The idea of any of the servants being in

league with the Indians is a preposterous absurdity, in my opinion. Keep

about the house, Betteredge, till I come back, and try what you can make

of Rosanna Spearman. I don't ask you to do anything degrading to your

own self-respect, or anything cruel towards the girl. I only ask you

to exercise your observation more carefully than usual. We will make

as light of it as we can before my aunt--but this is a more important

matter than you may suppose."




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