Remained a minute or two.

Report, on coming out: "Whoever blacks Sergeant Cuff's boots ought to be ashamed of himself." Nancy, the kitchen-maid, went last.

Remained a minute or two.

Report, on coming out: "Sergeant Cuff has a heart; HE doesn't cut jokes, Mr.Betteredge, with a poor hard-working girl." Going into the Court of Justice, when it was all over, to hear if there were any further commands for me, I found the Sergeant at his old trick--looking out of window, and whistling "The Last Rose of Summer" to himself.
"Any discoveries, sir ?" I inquired.
"If Rosanna Spearman asks leave to go out," said the Sergeant, "let the poor thing go; but let me know first." I might as well have held my tongue about Rosanna and Mr.Franklin! It was plain enough; the unfortunate girl had fallen under Sergeant Cuff's suspicions, in spite of all I could do to prevent it.
"I hope you don't think Rosanna is concerned in the loss of the Diamond ?" I ventured to say.
The corners of the Sergeant's melancholy mouth curled up, and he looked hard in my face, just as he had looked in the garden.
"I think I had better not tell you, Mr.Betteredge," he said.

"You might lose your head, you know, for the second time." I began to doubt whether I had been one too many for the celebrated Cuff, after all! It was rather a relief to me that we were interrupted here by a knock at the door, and a message from the cook.