The nearest way to the garden, on going out of my lady's sitting-room,

was by the shrubbery path, which you already know of. For the sake of

your better understanding of what is now to come, I may add to this,

that the shrubbery path was Mr. Franklin's favourite walk. When he was

out in the grounds, and when we failed to find him anywhere else, we

generally found him here.

I am afraid I must own that I am rather an obstinate old man. The more

firmly Sergeant Cuff kept his thoughts shut up from me, the more

firmly I persisted in trying to look in at them. As we turned into the

shrubbery path, I attempted to circumvent him in another way.

"As things are now," I said, "if I was in your place, I should be at my

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wits' end."

"If you were in my place," answered the Sergeant, "you would have formed

an opinion--and, as things are now, any doubt you might previously have

felt about your own conclusions would be completely set at rest. Never

mind for the present what those conclusions are, Mr. Betteredge. I

haven't brought you out here to draw me like a badger; I have brought

you out here to ask for some information. You might have given it to me

no doubt, in the house, instead of out of it. But doors and listeners

have a knack of getting together; and, in my line of life, we cultivate

a healthy taste for the open air."

Who was to circumvent THIS man? I gave in--and waited as patiently as I

could to hear what was coming next.

"We won't enter into your young lady's motives," the Sergeant went on;

"we will only say it's a pity she declines to assist me, because, by

so doing, she makes this investigation more difficult than it might

otherwise have been. We must now try to solve the mystery of the smear

on the door--which, you may take my word for it, means the mystery of

the Diamond also--in some other way. I have decided to see the servants,

and to search their thoughts and actions, Mr. Betteredge, instead of

searching their wardrobes. Before I begin, however, I want to ask you

a question or two. You are an observant man--did you notice anything

strange in any of the servants (making due allowance, of course, for

fright and fluster), after the loss of the Diamond was found out? Any

particular quarrel among them? Any one of them not in his or her usual

spirits? Unexpectedly out of temper, for instance? or unexpectedly taken

ill?"

I had just time to think of Rosanna Spearman's sudden illness at

yesterday's dinner--but not time to make any answer--when I saw Sergeant

Cuff's eyes suddenly turn aside towards the shrubbery; and I heard him

say softly to himself, "Hullo!"




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