I answered, "what's the matter?"

The man had been a most excellent servant, and indeed I considered I
owed my life to him, and perhaps Dolores' as well, for had he not
handed me my Colt's revolver on that memorable night when the train was
attacked, and I was being carried off by the supposed robbers? He
availed himself of his permission to speak very slowly; he appeared to
be turning something over in his mind, and whatever it was, was
apparently not very agreeable. He stood at "attention," the habit of
an old soldier, with his forehead puckered; at last his lips opened,
and he commenced what he had to say.

"When you engaged me, sir," he began, "you were under the impression
that I was a straightforward English servant. Sir," he added, "I was
nothing of the sort."

I looked at his bronzed, clean-shaven face, fair hair and soldier's
blue eyes, in wonderment.

"What are you talking about, Brooks?" I asked. The man's tone
disturbed me. I had grown quite fond of him, and feared he was going
to give notice. He was a most perfect valet, the best by far that I
had ever come across.

"You thought I was straight, sir," he continued, "and I wasn't. It was
like this, sir: when I left the army I was taken as valet by the Dook
of Birmingham; his brother had been an officer in my old regiment, and
I had been his servant.

"I lived with the Dook over two year, and then when we were staying in
a big house near Sandringham there was some jewellery of the Dook's
missed, and His Grace told me that, although he made no charge against
me, he should get another valet.

"I give you my word, sir, as I stand here, that I knew nothing of the
missing jewellery. I was as innocent of stealing it as a babe unborn.

"But I knew perfectly well that the thing would stand against me, and
that I should be a marked man; indeed, there was a good deal of talk
about it in the housekeeper's room among the other upper servants.
About this time the valet of a great foreign duke, who happened to be
also staying in the neighbourhood, and himself a foreigner, came to me
one day when I was very downhearted, and asked me to come over to the
great house where he was staying and drink a bottle of Rhine wine with
him. I went, and he showed me your advertisement, and told me he
thought it would be a good thing for me.

"I thought so too, but I did not believe that you would be likely to
take me if you were told why I was leaving the Dook, as I hav