It's very
important to smooth them down again. Tell your daughter, and tell the
rest of them, these two things, with my compliments: First, that I have
no evidence before me, yet, that the Diamond has been stolen; I 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-servants, when Superintendent Seegrave laid
his embargo on their rooms, came in handy here.
"May I make so bold, Sergeant, as to tell the women a third thing?"
I asked. "Are they free (with your compliments) to fidget up and
downstairs, and whisk in and out of their bed-rooms, if the fit takes
them?"
"Perfectly free," said the Sergeant.
"THAT will smooth them down, sir," I remarked, "from the cook to the
scullion."
"Go, and do it at once, Mr. Betteredge."
I did it in less than five minutes. There was only one difficulty when I
came to the bit about the bed-rooms. It took a pretty stiff exertion
of my authority, as chief, to prevent the whole of the female household
from following me and Penelope up-stairs, in the character of volunteer
witnesses in a burning fever of anxiety to help Sergeant Cuff.
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