, you have now unwittingly given
yourself away entirely. You stole at least one of the cuff-buttons, I
am positive. Now, give it up before I publish it from the housetops."

And Holmes stood there, with arms folded, and regarded the Countess in
a very grim and determined manner, while I stood at one side, my mouth
open,--as usual.

The Countess turned white, then red, then pulled out her handkerchief
and began to weep, which was disconcerting to the relentless Holmes.

"To think that I should be insulted so by a perfect stranger in my own
home!" And the Countess wept some more. "What earthly connection is
there between your silly questions about the Earl's cigars and the
diamond-robbery, I should like to know?"

"Simply this," returned Holmes patiently, as the Countess wiped her
tear-stained face with her handkerchief; "with the aid of my powerful
microscope I was enabled to find that the specks of cigar-ashes
adhering to the soles of your shoes that you wore Monday, the ones
that I was compelled to take for evidence last night, and replaced in
your room this morning, were from a Pampango cigar; and as you told me
that the only time recently that the Earl smoked one of that brand was
Monday morning, in his room, and that his room was swept out Monday
noon, that proves conclusively that you were in his room during Monday
morning. The fact that you also claimed to have been up here in your
own room all during Monday morning shows that you had a strong motive
for concealing your presence in the Earl's room at the time some of
the cuff-buttons disappeared, which can only mean that you wished to
cover up your theft. Is that clear enough?"

"I suppose so," remarked the Countess listlessly, rising and going
over to her dresser at one side of the room, where she unlocked one of
the drawers, took out the cuff-button Holmes was after, and handed it
to him. "Here is your horrid old diamond cuff-button! I wish I had
never seen it. I am not the thief, anyhow. That miserable fellow from
Australia is the one that stole it, Billie Budd, and he gave it to me
to hide for him until he could dispose of it safely. I did it for a
joke on George, as I never did like the hideous glaring things, even
if they were a present from King George I to his ancestor. And that's
all I know about it,--so there! Budd only gave me one of the
cuff-buttons, and I don't know where the others are, and I can't say
that I care very much, either. Now are you