alled to
congratulate you on the uniform excellence of the repasts you have
prepared since I have been an honored guest in this castle, and to say
that I consider them absolutely Lucullan, not to say Apician, in their
delicious sumptuousness. Here, have a cigarette on me." And Holmes
politely proffered to the chef his silver cigarette case,--the one
that the Sultan of Zanzibar had given him three years before as a
reward on a certain case.

La Violette swelled up like a pouter pigeon on hearing this taffy from
the great detective, and bowed profoundly, his black eyes gleaming, as
he took a cigarette and lit it.

"Thank you, Mr. Holmes. I always endeavor to do my best in the
culinary line, with the help of Monsieur Harrigan, who serves the
wines at the end of the dinners I prepare," replied he.

"You are both geniuses in your line," agreed Holmes, as we settled
down in a couple of kitchen chairs, and I listened while he tried to
pull the chef's leg for some cuff-button information; "and I can
appreciate your cookery all the more, since I am half a
fellow-country-man of yours. My mother was French, as Doctor Watson
informed the world in one of my very first adventures."

"Ah! You don't say so! Why in the world didn't you tell me about it
before? May I ask what your mother's maiden name was?" queried the
pleased Louis.

"Le Sage. She was a direct descendant of the family of the great
French author of the seventeenth century, Alain Rene Le Sage,"
answered Holmes.

"Well, well, well! I must treat on that," returned Louis, and he
bustled around into the pantry, and got out a bottle of Bordeaux wine
he had hidden there by the flour-bin for contingencies. "Here, just
try some of this elegant wine from my native province of Guienne," he
added, filling three glasses, which he offered one each to Holmes and
myself.

"Fine, fine!" commended Holmes, as he smacked his lips. "By the way,
Louis, what do you think about the four remaining diamond cuff-buttons
still floating around? I have reason to believe they are still inside
the castle, and that Billie Budd did not get away with them."

Louis put down his glass, and regarded Holmes peculiarly.

"Those cuff-buttons are not worrying me one single bit, and if I had
taken any of the worthless gewgaws, which are hardly fit for a Latin
Quarter masquerade ball, I would have assuredly soon become ashamed of
having them in my possession and have returned them to the Earl.
However