"The Sergeant wishes to see Miss Verinder's sitting-room," says Mr.

Seegrave, addressing me with great pomp and eagerness. "The Sergeant may

have some questions to ask. Attend the Sergeant, if you please!"

While I was being ordered about in this way, I looked at the great Cuff.

The great Cuff, on his side, looked at Superintendent Seegrave in that

quietly expecting way which I have already noticed. I can't affirm that

he was on the watch for his brother officer's speedy appearance in the

character of an Ass--I can only say that I strongly suspected it.

I led the way up-stairs. The Sergeant went softly all over the Indian

cabinet and all round the "boudoir;" asking questions (occasionally

Advertisement..

only of Mr. Superintendent, and continually of me), the drift of which I

believe to have been equally unintelligible to both of us. In due time,

his course brought him to the door, and put him face to face with the

decorative painting that you know of. He laid one lean inquiring finger

on the small smear, just under the lock, which Superintendent Seegrave

had already noticed, when he reproved the women-servants for all

crowding together into the room.

"That's a pity," says Sergeant Cuff. "How did it happen?"

He put the question to me. I answered that the women-servants had

crowded into the room on the previous morning, and that some of their

petticoats had done the mischief, "Superintendent Seegrave ordered them

out, sir," I added, "before they did any more harm."

"Right!" says Mr. Superintendent in his military way. "I ordered them

out. The petticoats did it, Sergeant--the petticoats did it."

"Did you notice which petticoat did it?" asked Sergeant Cuff, still

addressing himself, not to his brother-officer, but to me.

"No, sir."

He turned to Superintendent Seegrave upon that, and said, "You noticed,

I suppose?"

Mr. Superintendent looked a little taken aback; but he made the best

of it. "I can't charge my memory, Sergeant," he said, "a mere trifle--a

mere trifle."

Sergeant Cuff looked at Mr. Seegrave, as he had looked at the gravel

walks in the rosery, and gave us, in his melancholy way, the first taste

of his quality which we had had yet.

"I made a private inquiry last week, Mr. Superintendent," he said. "At

one end of the inquiry there was a murder, and at the other end there

was a spot of ink on a table cloth that nobody could account for. In all

my experience along the dirtiest ways of this dirty little world, I have

never met with such a thing as a trifle yet. Before we go a step further

in this business we must see the petticoat that made the smear, and we

must know for certain when that paint was wet."

Mr. Superintendent--taking his set-down rather sulkily--asked if he

should summon the women. Sergeant Cuff, after considering a minute,

sighed, and shook his head.




Most Popular