I
only say, at present, that the Diamond is missing. The discovery of the
stained dress may lead the way to finding it."
Her ladyship looked at me. "Do you understand this?" she said.
"Sergeant Cuff understands it, my lady," I answered.
"How do you propose to discover the stained dress?" inquired my
mistress, addressing herself once more to the Sergeant. "My good
servants, who have been with me for years, have, I am ashamed to say,
had their boxes and rooms searched already by the other officer. I can't
and won't permit them to be insulted in that way a second time!"
(There was a mistress to serve! There was a woman in ten thousand, if
you like!)
"That is the very point I was about to put to your ladyship," said the
Sergeant. "The other officer has done a world of harm to this inquiry,
by letting the servants see that he suspected them. If I give them cause
to think themselves suspected a second time, there's no knowing what
obstacles they may not throw in my way--the women especially. At the
same time, their boxes must be searched again--for this plain reason,
that the first investigation only looked for the Diamond, and that the
second investigation must look for the stained dress.
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